Byzantine, Texas

Notes from the Alaskan OCMC mission trip

2012-01-30T09:15:00.000-06:00

(OCN - The Sounding) - Breaking through the clouds to see the snow-capped mountains of Juneau, Alaska started this Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) mission trip. There was a team of 9 Orthodox Christian volunteers to help the communities of Juneau and Hoonah, Alaska (both churches are St. Nicholas), along with repairing the Hoonah church building. We ranged in age from 19 to 84, and traveled from Florida, Alabama, Indiana and Illinois.

One team member was on her 11th OCMC mission trip in 12 years. Another member was on her third OCMC trip in three years. For the rest of us, it was our first OCMC trip.

We began our four-day orientation at St. Nicholas in Juneau and then would travel to Hoonah. The orientation was for individual and team preparation, along with culture training about Orthodoxy in Alaska and the indigenous people. The parish priest for both St. Nicholas churches is Fr. Simeon.

As part of the orientation and the team building, we had to prepare a three-minute presentation about ourselves and our orthodoxy. I was unexpectedly nervous and emotional thinking about what I would say. The other team members expressed similar concerns. The Holy Spirit was moving us all to continue to inwardly evaluate ourselves and our mission.

As we presented our stories, there were tears and laughs. Despite the common thread of Orthodoxy, the lifetime of patterns weaved by each of us look so different. Some were filled with straight lines, others in circles and others were zig zags. Nevertheless, here we all sat together with one common goal.

We were blessed to meet Richard and Nora Dauenhauer. They have jointly written eight books, four of which are about the Tlinget, one of the five major groupings of Alaska’s indigenous people, also called Alaska Natives...

Complete article here.

Diocese of the Midwest opening first maternity center

2012-01-30T07:48:00.001-06:00

CHICAGO, IL (OCA-DMW) - Plans are moving forward toward the establishment of an Orthodox-sponsored maternity home -- the first in the Midwest -- in the Chicago area.

"Orthodox Christians for Life-Chicago, a pan-Orthodox organization established in 2001, has long dreamed of putting its faith into action by establishing an Orthodox-sponsored outreach to women in crisis pregnancies in the Midwest," according to Helen O'Sullivan, an OCLife-Chicago spokesperson. "Establishing this outreach has increasingly become the focus of the organization and, as a result, a committee was formed to explore the possibilities and to see this project come to life.

"At present, there are only a handful of such homes across the country, and while in the Chicago metropolitan area there are a variety of crisis pregnancy centers, there is only one maternity home, under the auspices of an order of Roman Catholic nuns," Helen said. "Members of Chicago's pro-life community have indicated that there is a dire need for a second maternity home -- one where a cross-section of women would be comfortable to seek support. OCLife-Chicago’s goal is to establish that second maternity home to provide women in crisis pregnancies with housing and other practical, emotional, and spiritual support, with a focus on Christ-centered healing."

OCLife-Chicago has been "doing its homework" in researching their efforts.

"One of our members visited Chicago's only maternity home, as well as the only Orthodox Christian maternity home in the US -- California's Martha and Mary House," Helen added. "The latter will serve as a model for our efforts." [Visit the Martha and Mary House web site at www.marthaandmaryhouse.org for additional information.]

His Grace, Bishop Matthias of Chicago and the Midwest, has offered his enthusiastic support for the effort, while OCLife-Chicago has been working closely with His Grace, Bishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago.

"OCLIfe-Chicago will undertake the process of establishing the home, writing its bylaws and regulations, acquiring 501c3 non-profit status, and overseeing day-to-day operations and ongoing fundraising," Helen concluded. "We anticipate a positive response from parishes across the Chicagoland area -- and beyond -- to our initial fundraising effort, which will begin on March 11, 2012."

For additional information and ongoing updates, visit OCLife-Chicago's web site at www.oclife-chicago.org.

A baptism

2012-01-29T17:29:00.003-06:00

Meanwhile, in Russia...

2012-01-29T17:25:00.000-06:00

An Orthodox approach to Psychotherapy & Addiction

2012-01-28T09:19:00.001-06:00

Kazakh official painted in cathedral fresco

2012-01-28T09:10:00.002-06:00

H/T: A Reader's Guide

Moscow, January 27 (Interfax) - An Orthodox bishop has argued that no Church laws were broken by depicting a Kazakhstan senator in one of the frescoes in a new cathedral, while the lawmaker himself has described the painting as a "sacrilege" and has said he asked for it to be erased.

Sergey Kulagin, a former governor of Kazakhstan's Kustanay Region who was recently appointed senator, has his face painted in a fresco showing a crowd welcoming Jesus Christ into Jerusalem in the new cathedral of Rudny, a city in the Kustanay Region, as a commission from two companies whose business underlies the city's economy.

He is shown as one of the people in the crowd.

"The fresco involves no departure from canon law. Furthermore, a painter paints an icon with Episcopal blessing and making use of his skills, experience and surrounding examples," Anatoly, bishop of Kustanay and Rudny, said in a statement sent to Interfax-Religion.

There have been depictions of Jesus and apostles as "Chinese, Japanese, Russians and others, but the compliance of such an icon with canon law has never been questioned," he said.

"The Savior lived among the righteous and sinful, the healthy and sick, the rich and poor, the possessed and wise, and all that has been reflected in frescoes - an icon of Christ the Savior then becomes part of a fresco. Today we can see icons showing Red Army soldiers shooting innocent people, and even demons trying to tempt the Savior, but it is martyrs and not torturers whom we venerate," the bishop said.

Moreover, "any depiction in light and color, in space and time, in a simple or complicated composition needs the consecration and blessing of a bishop," he said.

Kulagin himself claimed that he had not been consulted about the painting.

"Let me tell you how it was," he told the Kazakhstan version of Moscow-based daily Komsomolskaya Pravda.

"On January 14, we were opening the cathedral, and I noticed there was a picture there that looked like me. Then I said to my guys, What are you doing? Erase it immediately! The only problem is I haven't made sure the job is done completely. I think it's all rectifiable, though, they'll get it done," he said.

Those who had commissioned the picture did him "a disservice," Kulagin said.

The paining is "a sacrilege," he said, "It's wrong, it isn't even my style of doing things. I haven't tried to find out yet whose idea it was."

Kazakh newspaper Vremya said earlier that putting Kulagin into the fresco had been requested by the ENRC-Komek fund and the Sokolovsko-Sarbaiskoye Mining Production Association, a major iron ore producer and part of the ENRC holding company.

"The depiction of the regional ruler raises a multitude of questions. There are trite questions what on earth he is doing here anyway, but a hair-splitting viewer wonders why Kulagin is standing stone-still among the welcoming crowd as though he has been pushed far into the background," an article in Vremya said.

"One involuntarily gets the impression he is somehow feeling ill at ease."

The author of the article asked Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy Protodeacon Andrey Kurayev, a well-known Russian Orthodox theologian, for comments.

"I first visited that church before the frescoes were finished," Father Andrey said in his blog. "And I still remember the lamentations of the priests that the builders of the church [the company on which the city's economy is based and the local administration] didn't pay the slightest attention to the wishes of the Church."

There had been a practice of including portraits of construction sponsors, such as princes and emperors, in church frescoes but they had their pictures put "down below, on the western wall, in the narthex, near the entrance," the theologian said.

Kulagin's picture "is right up under the dome," Father Andrey said. "After the words 'Lift up your hearts,' the worshiper raises their eyes - and sees the Big Brother."

Assembly of Bishops Secretariat meets

2012-01-27T09:16:00.002-06:00

(AOB) - The Secretariat of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America held its annual "face-to-face" meeting, January 24th and 25th, 2012. The hosts for this year's "face-to-face" meeting were Father Josiah Trenham and the congregation of St Andrew Church in Riverside, CA. An overview of the work accomplished at the Riverside meeting will be included in a soon-to-be issued media release which will report to the Church-at-large on the work of the Assembly during the past year.

The Secretariat, which also meets monthly via teleconference, consists of Bishop Basil (Secretary of the Assembly of Bishops), Archbishop Antony, Bishop Andonios, Bishop Maxim, Father Mark Arey, Father Nicholas Ceko, Father Josiah Trenham, Hierodeacon Benedict (Armitage), Protodeacon Peter Danilchick, and Messrs. Alexei Krindatch, Alex Machaskee, Eric Namee and Constantin Ursache.

Pan-Orthodox Symposium to discuss a Local Church

2012-01-27T08:48:00.000-06:00

(OCA) - The Huffington Ecumenical Institute, in collaboration with the Henry Luce Foundation, will host its annual symposium, “Pan-Orthodoxy in North America: Towards a Local Church,” at Loyola Marymount University here March 16-17, 2012.

A variety of presentations by Orthodox Christian and Catholic experts will explore the “complex mosaic of historical circumstances, struggles for self-identity, and intriguing people” that make up Orthodox Christianity in North America.

The symposium will be held at University Hall 1000, Ahmanson Auditorium, Loyola Marymount University. Friday’s program begins at 9:00 a.m., while Saturday’s program opens at 9:30 a.m. Each days’ presentations will conclude at 5:00 p.m. Lunch and refreshments will be provided each day.

While there is no charge to attend the symposium, advanced registration is strictly required. To register and/or to obtain additional informaton, visit http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/ecumenical/pan-orthodoxy.

Questions may be directed to Katherine Lash at hei@lmu.edu; 310-338-1917.

A solid article on Orthodox at the March for Life

2012-01-27T08:37:00.001-06:00

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 25, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – At a religious event often dominated by massive presence of Roman Catholics, members of the Eastern Orthodox Church played a more visible role in this year’s March for Life than ever before. For the first time, the opening prayer in front of the Supreme Court was offered by His Eminence Jonah (Paffhausen), Metropolitan of All America and Canada for the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), as well as Roman Catholic prelates Daniel Cardinal DiNardo and Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan.

“We are of one heart and one purpose,” he said as he chanted a litany of life before hundreds of thousands of marchers.

The Metropolitan was joined by several of his brother bishops, including Bp. Melchizedek of Pittsburgh, Bp. Matthias of Chicago, and Bp. Michael of New York. At least 15 priests were in his company alone. Several individual representatives of the Carpatho-Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, and Antiochian Orthodox Churches also participated.

Fr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor of St. Vladimir Orthodox Theological Seminary in Syosset, New York, estimated more than 100 Orthodox Christians came with his group. St. Tikhon’s Seminary in Pennsylvania also brought students to participate in the church’s public ministry.

“The nation should respect life from conception until the moment the person naturally takes his last breath,” Met. Jonah told LifeSiteNews.com. The Orthodox Christian Church, the world’s second largest Christian denomination, dogmatically teaches that life begins at conception and that abortion is a grave sin.

He said throughout the year the faithful should remind women who have had an abortion “that forgiveness and healing are available to them. They should support ministries that care for pregnant women by, for instance, founding crisis pregnancy centers. That is the kind of ministry that will bring an end to abortion in this nation,” he said.

He instructed parishes of the OCA to insert prayers for the end of abortion into one of the church’s litanies on January 22, which the OCA proclaimed “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.”

Fr. Chad Hatfield told LifeSiteNews.com said he had only one disappointment. “I hope next year we have a greater participation from other Orthodox jurisdictions,” he said, particularly other bishops.

Some churches refused to participate on the grounds that the March for Life is a political event. But one Orthodox Christian at the march told LifeSiteNews, “It is not political; it is a religious testament to our faith. We say the same things to Republicans as we do to Democrats.”

The Eastern Church has been active in the pro-life movement for decades. Archpriest John Kowalczyk, the co-founder of the Orthodox Presence at the March for Life, said in a statement, “For over 25 years, Orthodox Christians from throughout the country have gathered in the nation’s capital to show their dismay for the millions of children who have been aborted since the infamous decision of Roe v. Wade. This March for Life Movement has united many Christians of all denominations on the principle, of what Saint Gregory of Nyssa says, ‘Life begins at conception.’”

Metropolitan Jonah said he believes pro-life activism and defending the culture of life will increasingly become vehicles for practical cooperation with fellow Christians. In the process, it is bringing the little-known church into national exposure. Fr. Kowalczyk said, “The Orthodox presence in this March has inspired other Christians to view Orthodoxy not simply as an ethnic identity, but a Church with a moral teaching.”

Orthodox faithful began Monday’s events by gathering for two prayer services. Eastern Orthodox Christians held a Divine Liturgy and prayer service at St. Nicholas Cathedral on Massachusetts Ave. A Western Rite Orthodox Mass was held at St. Gregory the Great Orthodox Church in metropolitan Washington.

Members of the Orthodox Church took part in pro-life events far outside the nation’s capital, as well. At the West Coast March for Life, Fr. Aris Metrakos, protopresbyter of San Francisco’s Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, gave the invocation. “Abortion-on-demand has shredded the moral fabric of our society by encouraging promiscuity, obliterating the notion of personal responsibility and accountability, and making selfishness a legal right,” he said. “It makes a mockery of men’s honor and the medical profession’s nobility, while exposing the duplicity and opportunism of the majority of the political class.”

Eastern Orthodox Scouting manuals now free online

2012-01-26T13:04:00.002-06:00

Wonderful news. These books used to be somewhat hard to order and pay for. A good reminder for me to get started on these with my son.

(EOCS) - The EOCS has been hard at work updating the award booklets & course requirements for the Chi-Ro, St. George, and Alpha-Omega Awards.

They are now available online FREE to download here.

It''ll Get Worse

2012-01-26T12:57:00.000-06:00

(Salvo Magazine) - Many brainwashed Christian kids aren’t getting a clear picture of what their lives will be like as openly conservative religious adults. They don’t fully realize that their objections and concerns will be shouted down and that they’ll be ridiculed and bullied in the public square—called hater and bigot and anti-science no matter what they say or do. So let’s show them what their parents’ lives are like now, so they know what the future has in store for them if they remain Christians.

::: THE PLEDGE :::

No one deserves to be respected for having a Christian point of view or any other perspective that doesn’t fully embrace the gay ideology and abortion rights. To this end, I pledge to squash any religious ideas in children by giving them a taste of the public shaming and vitriol they will receive as God-fearing adults. I’ll shout down anyone who tries to stand up for traditional morals at school and at work—and I’ll encourage my friends, family, and neighbors to do the same. I’ll provide hopelessness to religiously minded youth by letting them know at a young age that “It’ll Get Worse.”

Chicago area churches hold Prayer Vigil for Life

2012-01-25T08:40:00.001-06:00

(UOC-USA) - Monday, January 23, 2012 marks the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that removed many state and federal restrictions on abortion.

Every year, thousands gather in the District of Columbia, the nation’s capitol in Washington, DC for the annual March for Life. It’s been deemed the largest and longest-running peaceful human rights demonstration for the unborn, with more than 100,000 in attendance.

As marchers gathered in Washington, D.C., for the March for Life, pro-life marches and commemorations around the country have already taken place in solidarity with the main event. Many were held on Saturday and a few Sunday, while others took place the week before.

The Orthodox Christian Clergy Association of Greater Chicago sponsored and hosted the 4th Annual Prayer Vigil for Life on Sunday, January 22, 2012 at Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church in Westchester, IL with His Grace Bishop Demetrios, a chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago delivering a key-note address, titled “Executing Death”.

Clergy and parishioners of almost very Orthodox parish in Chicago Metropolitan area attended the Prayer Vigil. Representing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA were His Grace Bishop Daniel, the Ruling Hierarch of the Western Eparchy of the UOC of the USA, accompanied by Archimadrite Pankratiy of St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Chicago, IL; Rev. Fr. Vasyl Sendeha and Deacon John Charest of Sts Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox parish in Palos Park, IL, and Subdeacon Vasyl Pasakas of St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary.

The prayers were unspeakably beautiful, in large part due to the parish Chorus, who lead the chanting of a number of Psalms and singing responses in all of the languages of the various Orthodox jurisdiction of Chicago metropolitan area. His Grace Bishop Daniel delivered a prayer during the Vigil, stating: “...Seeking to fulfill Your teaching o Lord, we as Your followers, turn to You in fervent prayer on this “Sanctity of Life Sunday”. O God, Who knows each of us from our mother’s womb, protect the fragile lives of our unborn little brothers and sisters, granting blessed repose to those whose tiny lives were terminated, as well as repentance and forgiveness to those who have participated in their termination… O Life-Giving Christ, the Prince of peace, through the intercession of our Holy Mother, the Birth-Giver of God and all he Saints, grant us and all people the will to treat life as sacred. By protecting the Sanctity of Life, may we ever more glorify You, its Source – together with your eternal Father and Your all-Holy Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.”

Following the Vigil, His Grace Bishop Demetrios reflected upon the historical and moral complications of pregnancy and abortion as well as Capital Punishment and the evil that such actions take against the creation of God. “The founders of our nation understood that religion and morality are essential to the survival of a freedom-loving society. John Adams expressed this conviction, stating: "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other."

During the coffee hour, sponsored by the Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox parish community, Bishop Daniel reflected that "...Orthodox Christians must not shrink from the obligation to assert the values and principles we hold essential to the common good, beginning with the right to life of every human being…"

In conclusion, the representatives of Orthodox Christian Clergy Association of Greater Chicago shared long-awaited news with those in attendance about the opening of Martha and Mary Hospitality House in Chicago Metropolitan area, helping young women through pregnancy and offering a child for adoption.

2012 Missions and Evangelism Conference podcast available

2012-01-25T08:25:00.003-06:00

It had to be that the year I move away from Texas for studies is the year they hold this conference in my hometown. Thankfully, AFR has supplied us with a comprehensive podcast of the event.

(AFR) - This year, the Missions and Evangelism Department of the Antiochian Archdiocese teamed with North Texas Orthodox Missions for a joint conference held in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. The speakers were Fr. Joseph Huneycutt, Fr. Evan Armatas, and Fr. Peter Gillquist. The dates were January 20-21, 2012. The conference was dedicated to the memory of His Eminence, Archbishop Dmitri.

Podcasts available here.

"the babe leaped in her womb" - St. Tikhon's at March for Life

2012-01-24T10:18:00.000-06:00

St. Tikhon's Monastery went to the March for Life.

Intl. Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Christian Nations

2012-01-23T11:25:00.000-06:00

(ROC) - On 21 January 2012, in the Hall of Church Councils of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia officiated at the ceremony of awarding the prize ‘For the Outstanding Activity in Strengthening Unity of Orthodox Christian Nations and for Consolidation and Promotion of Christian Values in the Life of Society” named after His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II.

The prizes of the International Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Christian Nations (IFUOCN) are awarded annually to the heads of states, governments and parliaments, Primates of the Orthodox Churches, and major public figures for their contribution to the strengthening of economic and political ties among the states formed in the context of Eastern Christian tradition and for the consolidation of noble standards of Christian morals in the life of Orthodox community.

The IFUOCN-2011 prize-winners are His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa; Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority; and Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic.

Attending the ceremony were Metropolitan Varsonofiy of Saransk and Mordovia, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR); Metropolitan Athanasios of Kyrenaika, representative of the Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; Archbishop Nifon of Philippopolis, representative of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; Archbishop Arseniy of Istra; Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Administrative Secretariat; Bishop Tikhon of Podolsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Finance and Economics Management; archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, chairman of the Synodal Department for Church-State Relations; archpriest Nikolai Balashov, DECR deputy chairman; archpriest Mikhail Ryazantsev, sacristan of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour; members of the delegation of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria; Mikhail Bogdanov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation; Mufti Albir Krganov, first deputy chairman of the Central Spiritual Boards of Muslims of Russia; ambassador of the Arab and Balkan states accredited in Russia; members of the delegation of the Palestinian National Administration; and many guests.

A documentary film about the history of the IFUOCN was shown before the ceremony. The IFUOCN president, Prof. Valery Alexeyev gave an opening speech and asked His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, president of the IFUOCN Board of Trustees, to open the awarding ceremony.

The Primate of the Russian Church welcomed the prize-winners and the guests and, together with Prof. Alexeyev presented diplomas and badges to the prize-winners-2011.

His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros II noted the importance of awarding the ancient and glorious Church of Alexandria in the person of her Pope and Patriarch and expressed his confidence that this award reflects “our relations of cordial love in Christ, cooperation and unanimity to the glory of our God.”

His beatitude added that that the prize was recognition of the contribution of the Church of Alexandria to the shaping of Christian theology and of her missionary efforts undertaken for the spreading of Good News on the blessed African continent.

The President of the Palestinian National Administration Mahmoud Abbas underscored in his address that he highly appreciated the life and spiritual heritage of the late Patriarch Alexy II. He expressed his joy over receiving the prize from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill whom he considers a worthy successor of Patriarch Alexy II.

Mahmoud Abbas said that the prize would be an incentive for continuing his efforts directed to the spreading of the culture of peace and dialogue among civilizations, religions and nations and to the support of the values of tolerance. He is convinced that the adherence to these values is particularly important in the period of the current structural transformations in the Arab world.

“We feel a particular and great responsibility for Palestine’s preserving its civilization role in the region and in the world, as Palestine is the land of Divine Messages. We continue our efforts focused on the achievement of peace with justice and establishment of the independent State of Palestine, living near Israel, within the borders of 1967,” he said.

In conclusion of his speech, Mahmoud Abbas thanked the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church and the IFUOCN leaders for the award and said that he would give prize money to Palestinian students who study in Russia.

Novak Djokovic, who could not attend the ceremony, said in his video address that an international award given to him in Russia is great privilege to him. “The Russian Orthodox Church gives a worthy example to the entire Orthodox world. There had been hard times in her history, she was persecuted, but no one managed to break it. At present it flourishes. This is an example for us, the Serbs, and we cherish hope that hard time for us will soon be over,” he said. He thanked His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the IFUOCN on behalf of himself and the Serbian people for high award.

H. E. Jelica Kurjak, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Serbia to Russia, read out greetings from His Holiness Patriarch Irenej of Serbia to the participants in the ceremony.

The awarding ceremony was concluded by a concert.

To re-sanctify the whole of creation

2012-01-23T11:11:00.001-06:00

(WYTV) - Each year, the Orthodox church commemorates the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by holding a special Blessing of Water service.

Local Orthodox churches gathered in Hermitage on Sunday to bless the Shenango River in celebration of the Epiphany holiday.

The service dates back to the 6th century, and consists of Scripture readings, hymns and prayers. Orthodox believers throughout the world take part in the celebration.

"The idea is that through Christ's baptism all creation is blessed. That He came not just to save man, to save fallen man, to save sinners, but to re sanctify the whole creation. To give it a new genesis--a new descent of the Holy Spirit.", explained Father Calinic Berger, a priest at the Romanian Orthodox Church.

This is the first time that the Blessing of Water was celebrated for the Shenango River.

A Seminarian's Prayer

2012-01-23T11:03:00.000-06:00

A prayer from the blog Opuscula Theologica:

Most blessed Lord Jesus Christ, send the grace of Thy Holy Spirit upon me, to strengthen me that I may learn well the things I am about to study, and by them become a better person for Thy glory, for the welfare of my family, and for the benefit of Thy Holy Church. Let this knowledge not make me boastful, but rather sanctify my mind by Thy deifying grace. Through my studies, teach me to acquire humility, a peaceful mind and a prayerful heart. This I ask of Thee through the prayers of Thy most Pure Mother, our Lady the Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary; of our holy and godbearing Fathers; of Saint Tatiana of Rome and Saint Sergius of Radonezh, and of all the saints who from the ages have been pleasing unto Thee. Amen.

Timkat in Ethiopia

2012-01-21T16:13:00.000-06:00

CELEBRATE: Young Ethiopian Orthodox Christians participated Friday in the annual festival of Timkat in Lalibela, Ethiopia, marking the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. (Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images)

Not a wizards' duel despite all signs to the contrary

2012-01-20T16:00:00.000-06:00

Romanian, right, and Serbian Orthodox Church priests perform, marking the Orthodox Epiphany on the river Nera, between the two countries of Serbia, left bank, and Romania, near the village of Vracev Gaj, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. AP / Darko Vojinovic

The post-Mubarak oppression of Copts continues to grow

2012-01-20T15:33:00.000-06:00

(AINA) - A Muslim mob attacked Copts today in the Upper Egyptian village of Rahmaniya-Kebly, Nag Hammadi, Qena province, destroying and torching their homes, straw huts and shops, while chanting Allahu Akbar. No one was reported killed or injured (video). According to reports, security forces were present but did not intervene and the fire brigade arrived 90 minutes late.

An eye-witness said that a straw hut belonging to a Copt was torched to clear the area for a mosque. There are more than 300 mosques in the village and one church.

According to Coptic residents, the reason behind the violence was the parliamentary elections. The Salafists wanted to prevent Copts, who number more than 50% of the inhabitants (20,000), from voting because they intended to vote for two moderate Muslims and not the Salafi candidates. "No Copt from Rahmaniya-Kebly was able to vote today, so the Salafists will win the elections," said a witness. Copts were forcefully prevented from voting.

US-based WAY TV, which covered live today's Rahmaniya attacks, called commander Osama, head of security at Rahmaniya, who said "everything was OK" -- despite live pictures on TV of the burning homes. Joseph Nasralla of WAY TV spoke to security and made them aware that the videos of the fires were being broadcast in the U.S. and Middle East, which caused the immediate dispatch of security vehicles. By late evening the violence had stopped.

In another incident today, a large number of Salafis and members of the Muslim Brotherhood entered the Abu Makka church, in Bahteem, Shubra-el-Khayma, Qaliubia province, and informed the congregation that the church has no licence and no one should pray in it. One Muslim said the 1300 square meter church would be suitable for a mosque and a hospital.

Bishop Marcus of Shubra el Khayma was scheduled to inaugurate the incomplete church and celebrate the Epiphany mass in the evening. According to Coptic witnesses the Bishop cancelled the festivities, which angered the congregation, who were not informed of the reason. A witness said the Muslim promised to be back tomorrow.

Oriental Orthodox Conference meets in New Jersey

2012-01-20T14:28:00.001-06:00

(Syrian Orthodox) - On Tuesday, January 17, members of the Standing Conference of the Oriental Orthodox Churches met at the Archdiocesan offices in Teaneck, NJ for their biannual meeting. His Eminence Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim welcomed the participant hierarchs and clergy on behalf of Eastern Archdiocese. His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church, chaired the meeting the meeting was also attended by His Eminence Archbishop Mor Titus Eldho, of the Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church and His Eminence Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, the Ecumenical Director of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church, as well as, clergy representing the Coptic and the Ethiopian Orthodox Churches.

The meeting began with a short morning prayer. Discussion topics included plans being made for a youth retreat to be hosted by the Syrian Orthodox Church and possible daylong regional meetings of Oriental Orthodox clergy.

Participants also spoke about their respective Christian education programs and reviewed the Oriental Orthodox Concelebration of the Divine Liturgy held last November at the Coptic Orthodox Church of Archangel Michael and St. Mena in Staten Island, NY. Next year’s concelebration will be hosted by St. Leon Armenian Church of Fair Lawn, NJ.

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, the Eastern Diocese’s Ecumenical Director, and Archbishop Karim spoke about the participation of Oriental Orthodox churches in the Christian Churches Together organization and presented updates on the ongoing dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church. Turning to developments overseas, participants discussed the situation of Copts in Egypt and Christians in Syria.

The Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan gave a presentation on the new website of the Standing Conference of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. Click here to visit the website for news and information about the organization.

In addition to Archbishop Karim, Very Rev. Fr. Shamoun Asmar, Rev. Fr. Aziz Hadodo and Rev. Fr. Joseph Chamoun were also present.

The meeting continued over lunch prepared by the Ladies Auxiliary of St. Mark’s Cathedral.

Theophany across the OCA

2012-01-20T14:01:00.000-06:00

(OCA) - With unseasonably warm weather dominating much of the North American continent this January, many parishes’ celebration of the Great Feast of Theophany went “outdoors” this year.

Back to seminary

2012-01-20T00:30:00.000-06:00

Seminary is back in full swing. Much has changed and yet much is the same with many of the same professors though the courses are of course different. I'm particularly happy to have Canon Law - being nicknamed Mr. Akribeia by fellow seminarians there might be some unhealthy reason behind that.

The snow has started falling, which, for a Texan, is a strange new world. The kids have something called "ski club," the family dog is none too happy about frosty morning walks, and sweatshirt or jacket is a requirement more than a fashion statement. We're settling into our new parish family. Today the children bloated themselves on Jordan water.

So I again ask for your prayers as my short Winter Break shore leave has ended and I embark on another semester of study. My wife certainly needs prayers as time spent in classes is time spent away from the family. So if you would, prayers for my beloved Svetlana as she balances home and our brood.

Christ is Baptized in the Jordan!

Abp. Seraphim sex abuse case to go to trial

2012-01-19T23:16:00.000-06:00

(Winnipeg Free Press) - A high-ranking former orthodox archbishop has been ordered to stand trial on historical Manitoba sex-abuse charges. Former is the wrong word. To my knowledge he has not been laicized or retired.

Seraphim Storheim appeared in a Winnipeg courtroom Wednesday for the conclusion of a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence for the case to proceed. A court-ordered ban prevents specific details from being published.

Provincial court Judge Rocky Pollack ruled the Crown had met the standard of proof required to move the case along. The case will return to court in March for the setting of a trial date.

Storheim has pleaded not guilty to sexually abusing two teenaged boys while he was a priest in Winnipeg 30 years ago. He remains free on bail with several conditions, including having no contact with children.

Storheim was the highest-ranking Canadian cleric in the Orthodox Church in America until church officials suspended him last November, days after Winnipeg police laid charges against him following a lengthy investigation into allegations that only recently emerged. None of the charges has been proven and he is presumed innocent.

A U.S.-based victims' group spoke out following Storheim's arrest, angry that a parish was using a church website to raise defence funds for Storheim. A Vancouver parish of the Russian Orthodox Church in America posted three messages of support for Storheim, including one with an address where funds for his defence could be sent.

Last December, the Orthodox Church distanced itself from the Vancouver parish with a statement that said in part: "The Archdiocese of Canada for the Orthodox Church in America is not in any way associated with any legal fund or other defensive effort being set up to aid Archbishop Seraphim."

Christ the Saviour Seminary to host inquirers event

2012-01-19T19:34:00.001-06:00

(ACROD) - Are you looking for something different to do with your Spring Break? Come and experience the life of Christ the Saviour Seminary in Johnstown, Pennsylvania!

As you stay at the Seminary, you will fully participate in the daily life of the students, both spiritual and academic. You will attend daily services, sit-in on classes, have fellowship with the seminarians and faculty, and have personal “down time” for prayer, reflection, reading, etc. Worship will also take place at our celebrated Christ the Saviour Cathedral. Since Western Pennsylvania has several well-known Orthodox sites such as Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Ellwood City and Antiochian Village in nearby Ligonier, other visits and excursions may be planned as well.

The Seminary is open for any Spring Break schedule (February 12 - March 31), and men aged 18 and over are invited. There is no cost; meals and activities are fully provided. Guests are limited to stay for one week, and are responsible for transportation to the Seminary. Contact Seminarian Bill George at wgeorge@acrod.org or (814) 539-0116. Accommodations are limited so make reservations early.

At your baptism in the Jordan, O Lord...

2012-01-19T14:16:00.000-06:00

A FAITHFUL FALL: A man plunged backward into cold water to celebrate Orthodox Epiphany in Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday. (Viktor Drachev/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)

(MSNBC) - An Orthodox priest walks near a bathing hole made for Epiphany celebrations in a pond in Moscow's Kolomenskoe Park Jan. 19, 2012.

Orthodox priest conducts a service at the ice hole of a lake on the eve of Russian Orthodox Epiphany in Minsk, Belarus, late Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. Orthodox Church believers celebrate Epiphany on Jan. 19. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

OCA to again be a major presence at March for Life

2012-01-19T13:15:00.001-06:00

(OCA) - Orthodox Christians everywhere — especially those within driving distance of the US capital — are encouraged to bear witness to their faith at the annual March for Life Monday, January 23, 2012.

As in years past, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, will speak at the pre-March program and offer prayers for the victims of abortion at the conclusion of the March. He will also attend the annual Rose Dinner.

Other members of the Orthodox Church in America’s Holy Synod of Bishops who will participate in the March are His Grace, Bishop Melchisedek; His Grace, Bishop Michael; and His Grace, Bishop Matthias. Archpriest John Jillions, OCA Chancellor; Archpriest John Kowalczyk, a pro-life activist and co-founder of the Orthodox Presence at the March for Life; numerous other clergy; and students and faculty members of Saint Tikhon’s and Saint Vladimir’s seminaries also plan to be in attendance. The seminarians will carry the icon of the Visitation of the Theotokos to Elizabeth, borne by Orthodox faithful annually during the March.

On Sunday, January 22, March participants are invited to attend Vespers at Saint Nicholas Cathedral. The Divine Liturgy will be celebrated the following morning at 9:00 a.m.

The March will begin at noon. Orthodox Christian faithful are asked to gather under the “Orthodox Christians for Life” banner on the National Mall, west of Eighth Street near the Smithsonian Castle, to the left of the main stage. Metropolitan Jonah will deliver the opening invocation. Representatives of other traditions, including members of the US Catholic Conference of Bishops, also will be present.

After the rally, marchers will proceed up Constitution Avenue to the US Supreme Court, where a Memorial will be celebrated for the victims of abortion.

“For over 25 years, Orthodox Christians from throughout the country have gathered in the nation’s capital to show their dismay for the millions of children who have been aborted since the infamous decision of Roe v. Wade,” Father Kowalczyk said. “This March for Life Movement has united many Christians of all denominations on the principle, of what Saint Gregory of Nyssa says, ‘Life begins at conception.’

“The Orthodox presence in this March has inspired other Christians to view Orthodoxy not simly as an ethnic identity, but a Church with a moral teaching,” Father Kowalczyk continued. “And we are willing to take this sacred teaching to the “public market places of society.

“We are excited once again to have the Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, who will be present with Metropolitan Jonah, who will be speaking at the rally,” Father Kowalczyk concluded.

Sanctity of Life prayers and petitions for parish use on Sunday, January 22, may be found here.

ROCOR in danger of losing NYC headquarters

2012-01-19T12:52:00.001-06:00

New York, January 19 (Interfax) - The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad strive to preserve ownership of its headquarters on Park Avenue in New York City.

ROCOR is facing a financial crisis that can result in losing the building.

As was noted in a statement posted on the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad website, in order for the Synod of Bishops to continue to own the complex it needs significant financing for urgently-needed capital renovation, continued financial support to cover maintenance costs, and a significant increase in annual revenue to fill a severe administrative budget gap.

"The need for a thriving, efficient administrative center, wherever it is located, has grown since ROCOR now participates in the life of the entire Orthodox Christian World," the statement reads.

The document informs that ROCOR Synod has been running $450-$500 thousand annual deficits in recent years.

"The Synod Chancery is aware of the need of the Cathedral worshipers in New York to continue their liturgical life should selling the buildings be the only viable option," the statement says.

ROCOR states that "the urgency of the situation leaves little time to find a resolution."

Ruthenian Greek Catholics in the US get new metropolitan

2012-01-19T12:03:00.001-06:00

(VIS) - Appointed Bishop William C. Skurla of Passaic, U.S.A., as metropolitan archbishop of Pittsburgh of the Byzantines (Catholics 58,763, priests 64, permanent deacons 17, religious 88), U.S.A.

Metropolitan Archbishop-elect William will be enthroned in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, April 18, 2012.

CrossRoad Summer Institute open to high school students

2012-01-18T14:22:00.001-06:00

CrossRoad Program

Brookline, MA (Antiochian.org) - Hellenic College Holy Cross, the oldest and largest Christian Orthodox institution for higher learning in North America, invites Orthodox Christian students from the United States and Canada to take part in a summer vocation exploration program that integrates faith, learning, and service. In its ninth year, the CrossRoad summer institute has proven to be a successful program preparing teens for leadership in the Church and in their communities.

One of the vibrant programs of HCHC’s Office of Vocation & Ministry (OVM), CrossRoad offers participants access to HCHC’s distinguished faculty instruction and enthusiastic graduate students who serve as staff. Since the program is on HCHC campus, participants experience the beautiful campus that is within minutes of Boston.

In addition to participating in theology classes, CrossRoad students attend Vespers each evening at neighboring parishes in the Boston area and engage in community service. Described by many as a “life-changing experience,” CrossRoad provides a strong foundation for the future leaders of the Church, evidenced through the way CrossRoad alumni reflect on what they learned during the 10-day period.

CrossRoad alumna Katya Soot of Albany, OR, said, “Two and a half years ago, I attended Crossroad, and yet it feels like yesterday. Time and distance have no power over the love and knowledge that Crossroad fostered for all of us in just ten days. To this day, what I learned and the people I met at Crossroad continue to influence my life, and I know this is something that will last forever.”

Alumnus Michael Takes of Clayton, MO, added, “CrossRoad was an amazing experience that helped me learn about my faith and prepared me for living an Orthodox life in college”

This year’s sessions are June 23-July 3 and July 10-20, 2012. Application Priority Deadline is March 1, 2012. Applications may be downloaded from the CrossRoad website.

About CrossRoad

CrossRoad draws its name in part from the metaphorical crossroad at which high school seniors and graduates find themselves as they prepare to embark on their life journey towards further studies and careers. CrossRoad’s 350 alumni hail from 39 states, Canada, and the Bahamas. To accommodate the overwhelming interest, CrossRoad runs two sessions annually.

For summer 2012 each accepted applicant will receive a full scholarship and is only responsible for travel costs to/from Boston. CrossRoad is funded by the OVM through the generosity of the Lilly Endowment Inc., the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment Fund, Old Neighborhood Foods, the Virginia H. Farah Foundation, and benefactors from the greater Orthodox community. Applications may be downloaded from the CrossRoad website at crossroad.hchc.edu or received by mail by calling the office at 617-850-1310. Visit the website to see a short video of the CrossRoad experience. Applicants must currently be in their junior or senior year of high school. Application Priority Deadline is March 1, 2012. The Office of Vocation & Ministry (OVM) at Hellenic College is now accepting applications from high school juniors and seniors for its CrossRoad summer institute.

When the crassness of some dictates the policy for all

2012-01-18T11:03:00.002-06:00

DRAPER, Utah (KFOR) — Amid some controversy, Draper's new high school has a mascot and school colors.

Future students within Corner Canyon High School's boundaries were mailed ballots and selected navy, silver and white for their school colors. The Charger was selected as the mascot.

With 23 percent of the votes, future students had selected the Cougar as the school's mascot, but Canyons School District said that board members expressed concern over the use of Cougar because it's used as a derogatory term for some women.

They also said that the Cougar is also a mascot for three other Utah schools, plus Brigham Young University, whose school colors are also blue and white. Corner Canyon High School is the first in Utah to use the Charger as its mascot.

The new school is scheduled to open in 2013.

Rila Monastery in matchsticks

2012-01-18T10:11:00.000-06:00

(My Modern Met) - Think you have the time, dedication and patience to create an artwork like this? First, try and comprehend these numbers. 6 million matches. 16 years of life. Bulgarian artist Plamen Ignatov used that many matches and spent that much time to create this impressive miniature model of the Rila Monastery. Made of wood, matches and gems, it's now on display at the Museum of Archaeological in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is regarded as one of Bulgaria's most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments and is a key tourist attraction for both Bulgaria and Southern Europe. It has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Talk about dedication to your craft.

More great pictures available here.

Life-term prisoners take monatic vows

2012-01-18T09:42:00.001-06:00

What a wonderful story. There is also some great work being done in the prisons of the US by our seminaries and parishes.

(pravoslavie.ru) - Twelve convicts of the Vinnitsa prison sentenced for life decided to take monastic vows, the Segodnya Ukrainian paper reports.

Today, 12 novices and two monks live in the monastery on the territory of the prison.

After 20 years in prison, life prisoners can ask for mercy, but perhaps, monks will have more chances to be released.

The morning of one monk - life imprisoned Andrey Chistyakov starts with 40 kneels and prayer. "For ten years I read works of the holy fathers for six-eight hours a day. I could have never had so much time as I have here in prison, even in the monastery," the prisoner said.

The Penitentiary Service of Ukraine says there have never been cases when life prisoners massively took monastic vows before.

A Mormon visits an Orthodox church

2012-01-18T09:16:00.001-06:00

(Mormon Matters) - Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how the familiar Mormon claim that we are the “one true Church” is as much a statement about other churches as it is about our own. And I’ve been thinking about how ignorant and uninformed I feel about other churches because I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve visited one.

So recently I decided to start visiting other churches a lot more often in hopes that I can develop some personal, first-hand knowledge about them. And it seemed fitting to start by paying my first visit to the church that claims to be the oldest “one true” Christian church: the Orthodox Christian church.

Like Mormons, Orthodox Christians explain: “We’re neither Protestant nor Roman Catholic.” An Orthodox website explains where they see themselves in relation to the various Christian denominations...

Complete article here.

Almost all bishops in Bulgarian Synod spied for Communists

2012-01-17T09:41:00.000-06:00

(Sofia Echo) - Bulgaria's commission charged with announcing the names of people who collaborated with the country's former communist-era secret services announced on January 17 2012 that 11 out of 15 members of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church's governing body, the Holy Synod, had worked for State Security.

The commission also identified senior Roman Catholic clergy and Muslim leaders who had been communist secret service agents or who had collaborated.

Not among the Bulgarian Orthodox Church names was that of Patriarch Maxim, the church's spiritual leader, who has headed the church for more than 40 years.

But the names identified as former collaborators include some who spoke out publicly against the church being scrutinised by the Dossier Commission - including Varna Metropolitan Kiril, recently also caught up in controversy about the expensive hybrid car that he had been using.

The other top clergy identified by the commission were metropolitans Galaktikon of Stara Zagora, Dometian of Vidin, Ignatii of Pleven, Yoanikii of Sliven, Grigorii of Veliko Turnovo, Yosif of the United States, Canada and Australia, Kaliniki of Vratsa, Nataniel Nevrokopski, Simeon of Western and Central Europe and Neofit of Rousse.

Galaktikon was agent Misho; Domitian, agent Dobrev; Ignatii, agent Penev; Yoanikii, agent Kirilevich; Grigorii, agent Vanyo; Yosif, agent Nikolov; Kalinik, agent Rilski; Kiril was a secret collaborator with the code name Kovachev and was an agent code-named Vladislav; Nataniel was a collaborator code-named Blagoev; Simeon of Western and Central Europe was a collaborator, as Toris, and an agent, code-named Hristov; Neofit's code name as an agent was Simeonov.

The process of check-ups among top clergy of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was continuing, the commission said. The commission is checking clergy of senior rank including metropolitans and heads of monasteries and theological seminaries.

The Dossier Commission said that Georgi Yovchev, bishop of the Roman Catholic eparchy of Sofia and Plovdiv from July 31 1988, was agent Petar.

Among Muslims, chief mufti Moustafa Alish Hadji was named as agent Andrei. Other senior Muslim clerics were Iskren Dobrouzhaliev, as agent Dobromir, Hasuf Halil Hasuf, a regional mufti and an agent code-named Hristo, Hedim Gendjev, collaborator, Osman Ismailov, collaborator, Ridvan Kaduov, an agent and Shefket Murad Hadji, an agent.

Diocese of Mexico celebrates 40 years

2012-01-16T17:15:00.002-06:00

(OCA) - Faithful arrived early at the Cathedral of the Ascension here on Sunday, January 8, 2012, as His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah presided at the Divine Liturgy and celebrated the Great Blessing of Water marking the diocese’s 40th anniversary.

Concelebrating with Metropolitan Jonah were Bishop Alejo of Mexico; diocesan clergy from as far as Monterrey and Guadalajara; priests from the US who offer assistance to the diocese, including Archpriest Ernesto Rios of Port St. Lucie, FL and Priest Antonio Perdomo of McAllen, TX; a priest of the Patriarchate of Moscow; and Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak. Services were celebrated almost exclusively in the Spanish language.

Metropolitan Jonah is visiting some of the diocesan missions through Thursday, January 12, offering an opportunity to strengthen their ties with the Church and plant seeds for ongoing missionary efforts.

The origin of what today is the Diocese of Mexico of the Orthodox Church in America were planted in the early 20th century, curiously through the Mexican National Catholic Church, distinct from the nation’s Roman Catholic Church. It was during the Revolution that antagonisms against the Roman Catholic Church were aroused by its historic association with the Spanish colonialists. Some of the first laws of the new Mexican Republic were antireligious. In 1917, all Church properties were nationalized, many churches were closed, monasteries were abolished and the communities dispersed, and clergymen were required to obtain licenses to function. Several attempts were made to establish a “national church.” In 1926, a Roman Catholic priest, with government support, was made head of the Independent Old Catholic Church of North America, and the Mexican National Catholic Church was founded.

The community thrived under the patronage of the government and at once extended its jurisdiction to Mexican communities in Texas. The National Church continued as an Old Catholic community until Father José Cortes y Olmos was appointed its bishop in 1961. He and his clergy became gradually convinced, through study and reflection, that the Old Catholic ecclesiological principles did not conform to the criteria of the One, True, Catholic Church. They came to identify with Orthodox Holy Tradition, and adopted the designation “Orthodox,” adopting the name “Iglesia Ortodoxa Catolica en Mexicao” (Orthodox Church in Mexico).

In 1965, Bishop José and his clergy contacted the then-rector of Saint Seraphim Church in Dallas, TX, Father Dmitri Royster, who had been instrumental in converting many Mexicans to Orthodoxy and was translating Orthodox liturgical services into Spanish. After Father Dimitri’s consecration to the episcopacy in 1969 and the granting of autocephaly the following year, Bishop Dmitri presented the case of the Orthodox Church in Mexico to the hierarchy of the Orthodox Church in America. After a number of exchanges and visits, the Holy Synod sent Bishop Dmitri to visit Mexico officially and to report on his findings. This report was studied by the OCA’s Department of Canonical Affairs, which recommended acceptance of the Mexican communities into the Orthodox Church.

In 1971, Bishop José petitioned for the acceptance of his community into the Orthodox Church in America. He and other priests of his community were received in their Roman Catholic rank of priest, while an estimated ten to twenty thousand faithful were also received into the Orthodox Christian faith. Father José studied at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary prior to his consecration as Bishop of Mexico City, which took place at Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral in New York City on April 22, 1972. Despite countless obstacles, what had become the Exarchate of Mexico continued to grow through the establishment of additional missions and conversions.

On January 28, 1983, Bishop José fell asleep in the Lord after a relatively short bout with cancer. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius, presided at the funeral service in Mexico City on February 1, 1983.

Archbishop Dmitri continued to oversee the life of the Exarchate until 2005, when a successor to Bishop José was found. On May 28 of that year, in services celebrated at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery in South Canaan, PA, Archimandrite Alejo (Pacheco-Vera) was consecrated as an auxiliary to Bishop Dmitri. On October 16, 2008, he was elected as the ruling bishop of the Exarchate. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, presided at his installation at Mexico City’s Ascension Cathedral on January 18, 2009. The Exarchate subsequently was granted full diocesan status.

A photo gallery of Sunday’s celebration may be found here, and an archival photo gallery may be found here.

Visit the diocese’s web site at http://ocamexico.org.

Additional background information on the Diocese of Mexico may be found here and here.

Administrator or Russian patriarchal parishes visits Mexico

2012-01-16T17:10:00.000-06:00

(ROC-USA) - On Sunday, January 15, at the invitation of the Bishop of Mexico City and throughout Mexico, Alexis (Orthodox Church in America), Archbishop of Justinian took part in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of Ascension Cathedral in Mexico City, the OCA. Archpastors Divine Liturgy concelebrated by the cathedral clergy, the clergy of the Patriarchal Parishes in the U.S. and the Western American Diocese of ROCOR. Services were held in Spanish and Slavonic languages. Praying the Liturgy of the Russian Diaspora in Mexico.

Orthodox prepare for March for Life

2012-01-14T22:06:00.000-06:00

WASHINGTON, DC (ACROD) - The 38th Annual March for Life, in protest against the legalization of the sin of abortion will take place on Monday January 23, 2012 on the National Mall in Washington, DC

Our Diocese has been in the forefront of the Orthodox Christian Right to Life Movement, with diocesan priest, the Rev. Dr. Edward Pehanich, being a co-founder of Orthodox Christians for life. His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas, was one of the first Orthodox Bishops to participate in the Annual March for Life.

Over the years, Diocesan faithful from the Johnstown/Pittsburgh and Eastern Seaboard regions have chartered buses, and organized car and van-pools to make their presence known, quietly marching in prayer and in singing of hymns with their fellow Orthodox brothers and sisters of other dioceses. This year, plans are being made in various regions of the diocese to continue this sad, but necessary tradition.
All diocesan faithful who are able to make the trip are urged to do so.

Holy Resurrection Church in Potomac, MD, as it has for many years, is again ready to greet those Diocesan faithful coming to the DC Area for the March For Life. The parish, will host a light luncheon of soup and sandwiches in the parish fellowship hall to help warm everyone up before going to the National Mall. If you and/or your parish group would like to stop, please let Fr. Peter Zarynow of Holy Resurrection Parish know by Wednesday 18 January, so that they can begin to prepare. You can contact Fr. Peter by email (frzarynow@gmail.com) or phone (301-299-5120).

Those who are coming are urged to check the weather forecast before coming to properly prepare for the elements. So far the Washington DC area has not had much of winter, with highs in the upper 40's most days, however, the preliminary forecast indicates a downward temperature trend in the week to come.

No surgery for you. You're retarded...

2012-01-14T21:48:00.001-06:00

From a blog about Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome, a story of a doctor's refusal to let parents help their daughter because she is mentally retarded. The post is worth a read as it brings up an important discussion on the difference between "quality of life" and the "sanctity of life." Discuss.

I am going to try and tell you what happened to us on January 10, 2012, in the conference room in the Nephrology department at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

We arrived for our regular Nephrology visit with Amelia’s doctor who has seen her for the last three years. She examines Amelia and sends us for labs. I ask about the transplant and she says we have about six months to a year until she needs one. She tells us she reserved the conference room and when we get back from labs, we can meet with the transplant team and he can tell us about the transplant process.

After the labs, Amelia falls asleep in her stroller and we are called back to a large room with a screen and about sixteen chairs. Joe and I get comfortable and leave a space between us to fit the stroller. After about five minutes, a doctor and a social worker enter the room. They sit across from us but also leave a space between the two of them.

The doctor begins to talk and I listen intently on what he is saying. He has a Peruvian accent and is small, with brown hair, a mustache and is about sixty five years old. He gets about four sentences out ( I think it is an introduction) and places two sheets of paper on the table. I can’t take my eyes off the paper. I am afraid to look over at Joe because I suddenly know where the conversation is headed. In the middle of both papers, he highlighted in pink two phrases. Paper number one has the words, “Mentally Retarded” in cotton candy pink right under Hepatitis C. Paper number two has the phrase, “Brain Damage” in the same pink right under HIV. I remind myself to focus and look back at the doctor. I am still smiling.

He says about three more sentences when something sparks in my brain. First it is hazy, foggy, like I am swimming under water. I actually shake my head a little to clear it. And then my brain focuses on what he just said.

I put my hand up. “Stop talking for a minute. Did you just say that Amelia shouldn’t have the transplant done because she is mentally retarded. I am confused. Did you really just say that?”

The tears. Oh, the damn tears. Where did they come from? Niagara Falls. All at once. There was no warning. I couldn’t stop them. There were no tissues in conference room so I use my sleeve and my hands and I keep wiping telling myself to stop it...

Complete post here.

Slow down

2012-01-12T14:34:00.001-06:00

Apologies for pared down posting. I'm in meetings like the below this week.

UK Anglican-Oriental Orthodox forum held

2012-01-12T10:14:00.001-06:00

(BOC) - The half yearly meeting of the Anglican-Oriental Orthodox Regional Forum took place at the Coptic Orthodox Church Centre at Stevenage on 10 January under the co-chairmanship of His Grace Bishop Angaelos and The Right Rev’d Dr. Geoffrey Rowell, Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe. Among other bishops attending were Their Eminences Metropolitan Seraphim (British Orthodox Church) and Archbishop Mar Athanasios (Syrian Orthodox Church) representing the Oriental Orthodox Churches and The Right Rev’d Andrew Proud, Bishop Suffragan of Reading representing the Anglican Church.

As usual the meeting was conducted in a positive spirit of fellowship and practical ways of ensuring closer co-operation between the two traditions explored. Bishop Proud, having previously served as Area Bishop for Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, offered some insightful reflections on Orthodoxy and the Ethiopian Church, which were much appreciated by all present. In return Bishop Angaelos updated the forum on recent events in Egypt and Archbishop Athanasios did the same for Syria and Iraq.

A new Orthodox book club

2012-01-12T09:58:00.002-06:00

From the blog Adventures of an Orthodox Mom...

I mentioned on Facebook last week, that I was thinking about starting a book club (or a Book of the Month Club) here on Adventures of an Orthodox Mom.  I haven't ironed out all the details yet but right now I'm thinking it would be great if we can have get through one book per month.  I'll assign a set amount of chapters and then we can meet here on a certain day and time to discuss each assignment.  Skype has a way of creating just chat rooms, so no webcams are involved, that might be another option for our discussions. 

There are so many incredible Orthodox books that I really want the focus to be on them, but I love the classics too and wouldn't mind throwing some of them in the mix too.  I'm also excited that several Orthodox titles are now available in e-format! 

Everyone is welcome to join in, this isn't just for Orthodox moms.  If you're interested in learning more about the lives of our saints, holy elders and faith, feel free to sign up!  I just ask that everyone be respectful of others opinions. 

So...any takers?  I'd love to hear any book recommendations you might have too!  I've never hosted an online book club, so any suggestions on how to better organize this will be appreciated (cough, cough, Mimi)!

Tossing of the Holy Cross in Hong Kong

2012-01-08T09:15:00.001-06:00

Česnica in Bosnia

2012-01-08T08:57:00.000-06:00

(MSNBC) - Bosnian Serb children break the traditional Christmas bread to mark Orthodox Christmas Day festivities in Banja Luka, near Sarajevo, Bosnia, Jan. 7. Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, according to the Julian calendar.

On Old Calendar Christmas in Illinois

2012-01-08T08:51:00.000-06:00

LANSING (NWI) - Generations of Serbian Orthodox Christians observed Christmas Eve on Friday evening under the ornately painted and gilded dome of St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church.

Serbians are among the few Orthodox Christians who still follow the Julian or old calendar, which puts Christmas on Jan. 7. You mean over 150 million?

Religious services to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ date back centuries and are a family tradition, said Dejan Grujic, of South Chicago, whose wife, three young daughters and parents sat together.

"We belong to this church and we all live close so we come to this service," Grujic said. "It keeps the kids grounded in their faith."

That theme of traditions passed down from generation to generation came alive during a re-enactment of the Nativity by children from the church's Sunday school classes.

Children from preschool to preteens walked down the straw-strewn center aisle dressed in costumes as classmates told the story of the Holy Family's journey to Bethlehem, the birth of the Christ child, the shepherds, angels, wise men and the star.

"And so it was that very first Christmas. We wish you peace, love and joy. Our hope is that you keep a little Christmas in your heart all year through," the children said together. "Hristos Se Rodi! Christ is Born!"

A small program distributed during the presentation featured artwork by Sunday school classes.

During his homily, the Rev. Milos Vesin said, "These children are not just children. They are examples to each and every one of us. ... These little ones are pure examples of love, honesty and truthfulness."

Children love unconditionally, he said. "Later they learn from us, something that is not innate. The newborn child from Bethlehem, let Him be our example, our role model."

Angels heralded both Christ's birth and his Resurrection, the priest said.

"The angels said to the shepherds, ‘We bring you a great joy.' At Easter, we will hear much the same thing. The angels tell the disciples, 'Christ is risen in order to bring joy,'" Vesin said.

The joy of Christmas and Easter are the same, he said.

"If we find God's way, then the joy of Christmas and Easter will be with us always."

After the service, participants walked outside to light the Yule log, which Grujic said "celebrates the coming of Jesus."

Celebrating the Nativity at Optina Monastery

2012-01-07T22:50:00.002-06:00

Arab Orthodox leader stabbed by "Santa Claus"

2012-01-07T18:35:00.000-06:00

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police say a man dressed as Santa Claus fatally stabbed an Arab Christian man in the back during a procession to mark Orthodox Christmas in the city of Jaffa.

Gabriel Cadis, the head of Jaffa's Orthodox Church Association, was stabbed Friday night and died hours later at a hospital. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said six members of an Arab Christian family were in custody Saturday as police investigate.

Witnesses told police the attacker was wearing a red-and-white Santa suit.

Israeli media reported that Cadis had a long-standing dispute with other Arab Christians in Jaffa.

Celebrating Theophany at St. Vladimir's Seminary

2012-01-06T15:43:00.000-06:00

(SVOTS) - Today, our campus community celebrated the Epiphany of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, one of the oldest Christian feasts. We are pleased to share images from our celebration on this great feast with you, and we invite you to post your own Epiphany photos on our St. Vladimir's Seminary Facebook Page. We would enjoy seeing how your community celebrated the day!

The Christmas Eve burning of badnjak in Serbia

2012-01-06T15:36:00.003-06:00

For more on this Serbian custom, see here and here.

A man burns dried oak branches - the Yule log symbol for the Orthodox Christmas Eve in front of St. Sava temple, in Belgrade, Serbia, on Friday, Jan. 6, 2012. The Serbs celebrate Christmas according to the Julian Calender, on Jan. 7. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

The "Rebirth of Orthodoxy" exhibition in Moscow

2012-01-06T14:14:00.001-06:00

File sharing a religion in Sweden

2012-01-06T14:13:00.000-06:00

(BBC) - A "church" whose central tenet is the right to file-share has been formally recognised by the Swedish government.

The Church of Kopimism claims that "kopyacting" - sharing information through copying - is akin to a religious service.

The "spiritual leader" of the church said recognition was a "large step".

But others were less enthusiastic and said the church would do little to halt the global crackdown on piracy.

Holy information

The Swedish government agency Kammarkollegiet finally registered the Church of Kopimism as a religious organisation shortly before Christmas, the group said.

"We had to apply three times," said Gustav Nipe, chairman of the organisation.

The church, which holds CTRL+C and CTRL+V (shortcuts for copy and paste) as sacred symbols, does not directly promote illegal file sharing, focusing instead on the open distribution of knowledge to all.

It was founded by 19-year-old philosophy student and leader Isak Gerson. He hopes that file-sharing will now be given religious protection.

"For the Church of Kopimism, information is holy and copying is a sacrament. Information holds a value, in itself and in what it contains and the value multiplies through copying. Therefore copying is central for the organisation and its members," he said in a statement.

"Being recognised by the state of Sweden is a large step for all of Kopimi. Hopefully this is one step towards the day when we can live out our faith without fear of persecution," he added.

The church's website has been unavailable since it broke the news of its religious status. A message urged those interested in joining to "come back in a couple of days when the storm has settled".

Despite the new-found interest in the organisation, experts said religious status for file-sharing would have little effect on the global crackdown on piracy.

"It is quite divorced from reality and is reflective of Swedish social norms rather than the Swedish legislative system," said music analyst Mark Mulligan.

"It doesn't mean that illegal file-sharing will become legal, any more than if 'Jedi' was recognised as a religion everyone would be walking around with light sabres.

"In some ways these guys are looking outdated. File-sharing as a means to pirate content is becoming yesterday's technology," he added.

Piracy crackdown

The establishment of the church comes amid a backdrop of governmental zero-tolerance towards piracy.

The crackdown on piracy has moved focus away from individual pirates and more towards the ecosystem that supports piracy.

In the US, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) aims to stop online ad networks and payment processors from doing business with foreign websites accused of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement.

It could also stop search engines from linking to the allegedly infringing sites. Domain name registrars could be forced to take down the websites, and internet service providers forced to block access to the sites accused of infringing.

The government is pushing ahead with the controversial legislation despite continued opposition.

Celebrating Theophany in Bulgaria

2012-01-06T13:56:00.000-06:00

(MSNBC) - A boy holds a wooden cross as men perform the traditional Horo dance in the icy winter waters of the Tundzha river on Jan. 6, 2012.

Prisoner finds monastic life too hard, opts for prison

2012-01-05T14:00:00.001-06:00

(The Telegraph) - David Catalano this week fled the halfway house in Sicily for the second time in six weeks, complaining that the regime run by the bearded Capuchins was too austere.

The 31-year-old inmate first ran away from the Santa Maria degli Angeli halfway house, near the town of Enna in central Sicily, at the end of November.

He turned himself into a police station, was re-arrested, and sent back.

But the criminal, who was serving a sentence for theft and had been sent to the institution under a form of house arrest, made a fresh break on Monday evening.

"I don't want to go back with the Capuchins," he told probation officers, according to the Ansa news agency.

The authorities acceded to his request – he was promptly sent to a prison in the nearby town of Nicosia.

The Capuchins are an off-shoot of the Franciscans, from whom they split in the early 16th century.

They advocated a much simpler, more rigorous monastic code based on poverty, prayer and penance, which they claimed was more faithful to the ideals of St Francis of Assisi.

They were not allowed to own property or handle money, and their food was obtained by begging.

They are known for their distinctive brown cowls and take their name from the Italian word for hood – 'cappuccio'.

One of the order's more macabre legacies is a crypt beneath a church in Rome, Santa Maria della Concezione, which contains the skulls and skeletons of more than 4,000 Capuchin monks.

Bones are arranged in bizarre patterns, including as chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, in four subterranean chapels.

Visitors to the ossuary are greeted by a plaque which reads: "What you are now, we used to be. What we are now, you will be."

Bulgarian Church: in-vitro fertilization is a-ok

2012-01-05T13:15:00.002-06:00

H/T: OBL News / Mystagogy

I fall on the other side of this argument, but it is interesting to note the variety of answers Churches and even individual pastors give their flocks. For example, I know two couples who asked different Orthodox clergy (in the same city, but from different jurisdictions) the same question on using in-vitro fertilization. They received completely different answers. Bio-ethics is not an easy topic to deal with. If the "Great Council" is ever convened, many participants have stated that this will be on the docket.

(Sofia Echo) - The Bulgarian Orthodox Church’s governing body, the Holy Synod, does not oppose in vitro fertilisation – in contrast to a December 2011 statement that it did; the misconception was a result of a clerical error in the initial statement.

This is according to Lovech Metropolitan Gavril who, however, underlined that the statement was correct in saying that the church opposed surrogate motherhood.

The initial statement caused outrage among various groups and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, already caught up in a series of other recent controversies, came under fire for taking a stance against in vitro in a country in a demographic crisis with a birthrate that has been falling, overall, for several years.

According to statistics quoted in a recent report by Bulgarian-language mass-circulation daily 24 Chassa, in 2011 about 700 babies were born in Bulgaria as a result of in vitro fertilisation. The previous year the number was 688.

The success rate for conception through in vitro in Bulgaria was about 26 to 30 per cent, according to the report.

Gavril said that like the Orthodox Christian churches of Russia and of Greece, Bulgaria’s Holy Synod accepted in vitro fertilisation on condition that the biological material came from legal spouses and the cells were fertilised for implantation so that there was no destruction of eggs.

"Under these conditions, the church accepts in vitro. This is what the Holy Synod said and there is nothing more that I can say," Gavril said.

And Also...

(Novinite) - The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is not against in vitro fertilization, according to the Lovech Bishop, Gavrail.

Gavrail told the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, Wednesday that there had been a mistake in the opinion of the members of the Synod, which was published at the very last day of 2011.

In it, the Holy Synod opposes in vitro fertilization and surrogacy, viewing them as a "human interference that is counter to God's will in the existential foundations of life."

Now the Lovech Bishop says that the Synod is only against surrogacy, and sees is it as unacceptable, while both the Greek and the Russian Orthodox Churches agree with in vitro fertilization under the condition that biological material is from the lawful husband. Other conditions include implanting all fertilized eggs and no eggs being destroyed.

"This is how the Church accepts in vitro. This is the opinion of the Holy Synod, and I cannot add anything to it," Gavrail said.

He, however, explained why the Church opposes surrogacy.

"There are many things there which are unacceptable. Tomorrow they will start cloning us. Do we have to agree to that as well? Maybe they try this method somewhere already? Our opinion is well explained in our December statement, but there is a mistake about the in vitro fertilization," according to the Bishop.

The Assembly of Bishops wants your money

2012-01-04T21:10:00.001-06:00

I know - before I even finish posting this - that there will be more than a few comments along the lines of: "Send them money?! They haven't done anything yet." Fair enough. Beyond pooling together parish and clergy directories from all the jurisdictions in the Assembly, they have sent out some festal announcements, spoken on a few political matters, and let themselves be interviewed for podcasts. None of this is anything earth shattering or something SCOBA didn't do.

I also know that - shortly after I post this and the comments have come in - Assembly committee members will email me to assure me things are happening in the background. This also happens not infrequently.

Speaking to people online and off, at home or while traveling, I have yet to hear anyone happy with the rate of "progress." Many of those same people also know what politics, history, and with what speed a single bishop (much less a synod) moves will encumber things. My laundry list of things I'd like them to act on is quite long as I'm sure yours is. Here's hoping prayer and patience will yield results in 2012. I would not advise holding your breath.

(AOB) - The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops is a conference comprised of all active bishops of North and Central America, of every jurisdiction. Its purpose is to preserve and contribute to the unity of the Orthodox Church by helping to further her spiritual, theological, ecclesiological, canonical, educational, missionary and philanthropic aims. To accomplish this, the Assembly has among its goals: the promotion and accomplishment of Church unity in North and Central America and the strengthening of the common pastoral ministry to all the Orthodox faithful of this region.

The Assembly has thirteen committees to help further its work. They are: Canonical Affairs, Canonical Regional Planning, Church and Society, Clergy Affairs, Ecumenical Relations, Financial Affairs, Legal Affairs, Liturgy, Military Chaplaincy, Monastic Communities, Pastoral Practice, Theological Education, and Youth.

Please consider supporting the Assembly’s work by making a tax-deductible contribution in care of:

The Most Reverend Archbishop Antony, Treasurer

Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops

P.O. Box 495

South Bound Brook, NJ 08880

You may also contribute online.

Holy water and domestic health

2012-01-03T13:43:00.001-06:00

From the blog Lessons from the Monastery:

The sisters always stress how important it is to have our home blessed regularly with agiasmos (holy water). I remember when we first moved here I was speaking with the Abbess of a nearby monastery about the trouble we were having with our neighbours and to my surprise she asked, “Have you had your house blessed?” And I said we hadn’t. She told me to get it done as soon as possible, especially since the owner’s son had left furniture behind in our apartment when he moved out.

When it comes to anything second-hand Greeks always suggest sprinkling a little agiasmos on it. “You never know who previously owned this or that thing, or what they did while wearing it,” etc., my Nona (godmother) would always tell us.

We save some of holy water from the feast of the Theophany and keep it year round in order to use it. The agiasmos which we receive on the feast of the Theophany can only be drunk after fasting (ie. this Friday morning we can drink it because we’ll fast on Thursday), and before eating antidoron. However, the holy water that is blessed on the first day of every month, for example, can be drunk when we wake up in the morning (ie. after fasting six hours while we sleep).

Something else about agiasmos that I found helpful to learn is that it’s a good idea to sprinkle some in one’s home after a couple has gotten into an argument, or if one feels particularly tempted in the home. The Church offers us so many blessings and so many ways to sanctify our life, we should take advantage of it as much as we can.

The photo on the right is a Romanian custom. The priest melts some of the beeswax from the candles used in the service and puts a cross with the initials IC XC NI KA in each room of the home after the agiasmos service. So as not to tick our landlord off too much, we only had our friend do it in our living room.

To read more about these services of blessing the water, and when and how we partake of agiasmos see here.

Interfaith effort feeds needy in New York City

2012-01-03T13:33:00.000-06:00

(NY Times) - The Local has turned its attention to the services offering free food in Tompkins Square Park once or twice before. Today, we ride alongside Adi Purusha Das, a monk at the Bhakti Center, and Father Joseph Gingrich (a talented chef in his own right), a priest at St. Nicholas of Myra Church, who – under the name Interfaith Community Services – team up with locals and tourists alike to bring home-cooked meals to the park every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Decipher this - another humdinger from Salvo magazine

2012-01-03T13:17:00.002-06:00

(Salvo) - Quoted in the article by Tom Gilson in the new issue of Salvo:

. . . the aforementioned problems are a product of well-intentioned people abiding by their respective common senses and that the only long-run solution to these problems is for people to develop a healthy distrust of moral common sense. This is largely because our social instincts were not designed for the modern world.

Well, in a new little segment in the pages of Salvo, we help you decipher what this Dr. Joshua Greene really means:

A pan-Orthodox Blessing of the Water in Western PA

2012-01-03T12:50:00.000-06:00

I'm planning on going to this with my family. Hopefully I can take a picture or two. I'm glad to see more pan-Orthodox events going on.

The Clergy Association of the Shenango Valley is made up of the clergy serving the Orthodox Churches located in Farrell, Sharon, Hermitage, Mercer and surrounding areas. There are six Orthodox churches and one cemetery chapel in this region, known commonly as “the Valley.”

Helping children in Guatemala

2012-01-03T12:18:00.000-06:00

Three Orthodox Christian nuns take over a run down orphanage in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Hogar Rafael Ayau has been the home to over a thousand children for the past 14 years...but now their facility faces potential closure so they are working to build a new facility outside the city. U.S fundraising efforts are being coordinated by the FHRA - The Friends of the Hogar Rafael Ayau. For more information please visit their website at FriendsoftheHogar.org.

The importance of temperance

2012-01-03T11:29:00.001-06:00

H/T: A Vow of Conversation

One of the characteristics of a genuinely healthy spiritual life is temperance. We know in ordinary speech what sobriety means in comparison to drunkenness. One can get drunk in various ways, and not only through wine. Everything that fascinates us so much that we no longer can remember God or ourselves, nor the basic values of life: this is a form of drunkenness. It has no connection to what I have called inspiration – the inspiration of a scholar, of an artist, to whom God has given the ability to see behind the outward form to that which surrounds it: a certain depth of being, which he can draw out and express in sounds, or lines, or colours so as to make it accessible to the people around it who were blind to it. But when we forget specifically that very meaning revealed by them and create an object of delight out of that which should be an object of contemplation – then we lose our sobriety. In Church life it happens so often and so destructively, when people come to church because of the singing, or because of the emotions that are aroused by the harmony of the mystery of the divine service, when God is no longer in the centre of everything but only the experience that is the fruit of his presence. The essential feature of Orthodox piety, of Orthodox spirituality, is sobriety, which transfers everything of value and its entire meaning from itself to God.

- Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh: Essential Writings, 132-133.

Holy Supper at St. Tikhon's Seminary

2012-01-02T15:53:00.000-06:00

I was quite fond of these two shots (more available here).

(STOTS) - On the Eve of the Feast of the Holy Nativity the St. Tikhon's Seminary Community came together to partake in the traditional Nativity Holy Supper before beginning the vigil service.

A visit to the Chapel of the Holy Spirit in Beavertown, PA

2012-01-01T22:42:00.001-06:00

Between seminary semesters for me and on Winter break for the kids, our family went over to State College, PA to visit some friends. I made it into town just in time to attend Vespers at the nearby Chapel of the Holy Spirit in Beavertown, PA. It's currently a small, but dedicated community of believers in rural Central PA. On Sunday morning we attended Liturgy and celebrated our Basil's name day (and the celebrant's I should add) with vasilopita. The people were quite friendly, happy to see a new gaggle of children, and hosted a great potluck. So, if you're ever in the area, drop by for a visit.

A quick shot taken before Vespers

Choirs - know your role

2011-12-30T11:35:00.003-06:00

Orthodox presence at March for Life continues

2011-12-29T15:00:00.003-06:00

(OCA) - Orthodox Christians everywhere — especially those within driving distance of the US capital — are encouraged to bear witness to their faith at the annual March for Life Monday, January 23, 2012.

As in years past, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, will speak at the pre-March program and offer prayers for the victims of abortion at the conclusion of the March. He will also attend the annual Rose Dinner.

Other members of the Orthodox Church in America’s Holy Synod of Bishops also are expected to attend.

Marchers are asked to gather at noon under the “Orthodox Christians for Life” banner on the National Mall, west of Eighth Street near the Smithsonian Castle. After the rally, marchers will procede up Constitution Avenue to the US Supreme Court, where a Memorial will be celebrated for the victims of abortion.

While additional details concerning the the Orthodox Christian witness at the March will be posted as received, general information on the March may be found at the March For Life’s website.

UGCC and UOC-KP - What fruits?

2011-12-29T12:32:00.001-06:00

(RISU) - Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church are concerned over the statements of Patriarch Sviatoslav (Shevchuk) that believers of the Kyivan Patriarchate are “the main Orthodox brethren” of the Ukrainian Greek Catholics.

So reported to UNIAN-Religion the head of the Department of External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Ilarion (Alfeiev) of Volokolamsk.

“We cannot remain indifferent to the statements of the new Head of UGCC that the believers of the Kyivan Patriarchate are “the main Orthodox brethren” of the Ukrainian Greek Catholics. The close contacts and even concelebration of Archbishop Sviatoslav (Shevchuk) with representatives of that schismatic structure unrecognized by any Orthodox Church, unfortunately, are an indication of ignoring of the official position of the Moscow Patriarchate and disrespect for the canonical rules of the Orthodox Church,” stressed Metropolitan Ilarion.

“I am deeply convinced that we cannot reach real mutual understanding and reconciliation between our Churches without mutual respect, in particular, in the area of the canonical system,” said Metropolitan Ilarion.

He told the correspondent that the Russian Church receives reports “about acts of proselytism of Greek Catholics among the Orthodox in the territories of the Central and Eastern Ukraine.” “Such phenomena can only strengthen the existing problems in the inter-Church relations while we would like the words about readiness for the dialogue not to conflict with the real actions,” said the metropolitan.

Metropolitan of Volokolamsk said that after the election of Patriarch Sviatoslav, official contacts were actually for the first time established between the Greek Catholics and Orthodox of the Moscow Patriarchate.

“Subsequent statements of Archbishop Sviatoslav about his will to promote settlement of the existing problems between the Moscow Patriarchate and UGCC also inspired us with some optimism,” he said.

Metropolitan Ilarion commented on the recent statement of Patriarch Kirill about the “improvement of the relations between the Orthodox and Greek Catholics in Ukraine.” According to him the patriarch’s words do not mean that all the problems in the relations are already regulated. “The questions of construction of the Orthodox churches in the western Ukraine remain unsettled. Representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church express concern about the mission of Greek Catholics in the eastern Ukraine,” said the metropolitan.

Hermitage of the Holy Cross launches photo site

2011-12-29T12:27:00.005-06:00

Their photo galleries are a favorite of mine and are often my go-to place for festal photos.

(Holy Cross Hermitage) - Due to the increased requests for prints of our monastery photos, we have launched a brand new website—Hermitage Photography. Our Hermitage Photography website will make available hundreds of monastery photos in a wide variety of sizes and formats. Click on the “Create a Card” option to design your own personlized greeting and Christmas cards. Find a favorite photo for yourself or for someone you love and purchase high quality prints.

Assembly of Bishops condemns treatment of Abp. Jovan

2011-12-28T23:10:00.000-06:00

(AOB) - Upon receiving the information that Archbishop Jovan of Ochrid was arrested on December 12, 2011, while entering the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) from the border with Greece, the Hierarchs of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America reaffirm the position taken by the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) in August 2005, and furthermore restate that the persecution and new imprisonment of Archbishop Jovan by FYROM are an outrage, and ask for his immediate release.

This arrest has a history of several years and began when the schismatic church of FYROM started persecuting the canonical Archbishopric of Ochrid, an autonomous part of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

This imprisonment, as did the previous ones, violates religious freedom in a supposedly free state. That a recognized, canonical Orthodox Christian hierarch can be imprisoned once again under false allegations, and while trying to fulfill his religious responsibilities, is simply absurd.

We join again the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church in demanding the release of Archbishop Jovan. We ask the government of FYROM to correct this injustice and to free Archbishop Jovan without delay. Furthermore, we call upon our governments to intercede and implement appropriate measures to hasten this process.

Another internecine fight at the Church of the Nativity

2011-12-28T09:43:00.002-06:00

(MSNBC) - BETHLEHEM, West Bank — A Christmas cleaning of the Church of the Nativity turned into scuffles on Wednesday between rival Christian clerics zealously guarding denominational turf at the holy site.

Brooms and fists flew inside the church marking the birthplace of Jesus as some 100 priests and monks of the Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic churches brawled.

Palestinian police, bending their heads to squeeze through the church's low "door of humility," rushed in with batons flailing to restore order.

"It was a trivial problem that ... occurs every year," said police Lieutenant-Colonel Khaled al-Tamimi. "Everything is all right and things have returned to normal," he said. "No one was arrested because all those involved were men of God."

Administration of the 6th century Bethlehem church, the oldest in the Holy Land, is shared by Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian clerics.

Any perceived encroachment of jurisdictional boundaries within the church can set off a row, especially during the annual cleaning for Orthodox Christmas celebrations, which will be held next week.

Abp. Antony of UOC-USA having chest pains

2011-12-27T19:58:00.000-06:00

(UOC-USA) - My beloved brethren in our Lord: Greetings in His Holy Name from Znamyanka orphanage in Ukraine!

His Beatitude Metropolitan Constantine and I were just informed that His Eminence Archbishop Antony, the spiritual father of the Eastern Eparchy of our Church and the President of the Consistory of the UOC of the USA has been hospitalized in Somerset, NJ for emergency tests following numerous heart discomfort symptoms. He will remain in the hospital for the next several days until the doctors are able to stabilize him. Please, remember the Archbishop in your prayers.

O Holy Father, Heavenly Physician of our souls and bodies, who sent Your Only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to heal those in illness: visit and heal Your servant and our brother in Christ Archbishop Antony, granting him release from pain and restoration to health and vigor, that he may give thanks unto You and bless Your holy Name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

With prayers,

+Daniel

Abbot Ephraim "captured"

2011-12-27T13:34:00.000-06:00

(London Daily News) - The Greek criminal justice system is today in the dock having used extraordinary methods to "capture" Abbot Ephraim the leader of the largest monastery on Mount Athos in Greece, and one of Christian Orthodoxy's leading spiritual figures. The Greek courts have deemed that the monk who was undergoing medical supervision in his residence at the Vatopaidi Monastery, a flight risk, and is now headed towards the notorious Korydallos prison in Athens to be held in custody, ahead of trial in Athens.

Speaking to The London Daily News earlier today one of Abbot Ephraim's entourage confirmed that the length of custody in a Greek jail was unknown, until bail is agreed.

Mr. Yiannis Matzouranis, who appeared for Abbot Ephraim said that ‘the remand into custody decision had no moral or legal base’.

"The custody decision against a clergyman renowned world wide for his charitable work and spiritual mission a few days before Christmas comes to add to the woes which befell the country as a result of the gloomy political and financial conditions. Needless to say no one has so far been accused or found guilty or imprisoned for the country’s degradation".

The Russian Government and the Russian Orthodox Church have made strong protests to the Greek Government:

“Such actions on the part of authorities of a country that is Eastern Orthodox under the provisions of its Constitution can only be regarded as an instance of inadmissible politicization of court investigations,” the Foundation of St Andrew the First said in a special statement.

The Itar Tass news agency in a report said:

"The foundation urged the Greek judiciary to ensure a fair and unbiased investigation of litigations between the state and the monastery. It also called on the Greek nation to remain committed to the spirit and values of Eastern Orthodox Christianity and to stay away from involvement in the politically motivated court cases."

The statement also said the Foundation officials were quite "astonished upon noting the fact that the court passed a decision on taking archimandrite Ephraim to custody soon after his return to Russia where he escorted the Virgin Mary’s girdle."

In Cyprus protests are being organised outside of the Greek Embassy, in London Orthodox Christians are organising petitions to be sent to the Greek High Court.

The London Daily News contact Prince Charles who has been a regular visitor to Vatopaidi his spokesman said we will not "be making comment on this at present".

The editor of the London Daily News said:

"The Greek Government needs to look at itself before it continues to underline the concerns of many in Brussels that the Greek justice system provides no justice. The recent case of London Cypriot Andrew Symeou who spent 10 months in Greek jails before being released with international organisations condemning the Greek justice system is inadequate and failing".

"My concerns are why an elderly monk is being sent to prison, when there is no risk of the man fleeing justice; this is a witch hunt by corrupt politicians in Greece who should themselves be put on trial for the criminal acts that have bankrupted Greece".

The scandal which has engulfed the Greek media involved land swaps which included the Olympic village in Athens that had been built for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games and where a ministry was to move in after the end of the Games. It was supposed to house a ministry later.

Instead of this, the building was re-sold via commercial companies.

Also, the Greek government "ceded" to the Vatopaid monks some 800 hectares of land valuable from the angle of tourism. The area is located near the town of Ouranoupolis in the vicinity of Mount Athos.

In exchange, the monks handed to the Greek Government some 8,000 hectares of land in the country‘s north. The attorneys claim the transactions inflicted a damage of $100 million as a minimum on the national budget.

In the meantime, Abbot Ephraim told the court of appeal, Friday that he did not recognize any guilt on his part. He vehemently denied all the charges with attempts to exert pressure on Greek politicians so as to complete the deals with the swapping of real estate.

Ukrainian Orthodox synod meets while head is ill

2011-12-26T13:35:00.001-06:00

(RISU) - A regular session of the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) was held on December 23 with the blessing of its head, Metropolitan Volodymyr, reported the website of the UOC-MP.

According to the Statutes of government of the UOC-MP, the session was chaired by a permanent member of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Ahafangel (Sevvin) of Odesa and Izmail, whose term of bishop’s ministry is the longest.

The meeting was attended by Metropolitan Ioannikiy of Luhansk and Alchevsk, Metropolitan Onuphrius of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna, Metropolitan Ilarion of Donetsk and Mariupol, Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshgorod and Chornobyl, Metropolitan Lazarus of Simferopol and Crimea, Archbishop Mytrofan of Bila Tserkva and Bohuslav, Archbishop Aleksander of Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi and Vyshneve, Archbishop Ambrosii of Chernihiv and Novgorod-Siverskyi, bishop Yelisey of Berdyansk and Prymorsk and bishop Nicodim of Zhytomyr and Novohrad-Volynskyy.

The Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church considered issues regarding the activity of the Kyiv Metropolitanate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Eparchy of Kyiv of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for the time of the illness of Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine.

To coordinate the financial and economic activities of the Kyiv Metropolitanate, the Holy Synod of the UOC set up an Auditing Commission, headed by Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshgorod and Chornobyl.

The government of the Eparchy of Kyiv for the period of illness Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine was entrusted to the Commission which includes Archbishop Aleksander, Bishop Seraphim of Yahotyn, Bishop Panteleimon of Vasylkiv. The Commission is accountable to the chairman of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Ahafangel of Odesa and Izmail.

The management of the current issues related to the activities of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary (KTAS) was entrusted to the rector of the KTAS Archbishop Anthonii of Boryspil. The management of current issues related to the life of the Kyiv cave Monastery was commissioned to the deputy abbot, Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshgorod and Chornobyl. The abbots and abbesses of the stauropegial monasteries should coordinate all the current issues with the chairman of the Holy Synod of the UOC.

The Holy Synod of the UOC also considered and approved the activity of Synodal departments and institutions of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for 2011.

The next meeting of the Holy Synod is scheduled for January 26, 2012.

Christmas celebrations cancelled in Syria

2011-12-24T22:13:00.000-06:00

(MSNBC) - A Syrian Greek Orthodox nun prays at the Virgin Mary monastery in Sidnaia, north of Damascus, on Dec. 23. Nine months of unrest in Syria have stripped Christian neighborhoods of any sign of Christmas joy. Syrian Christians have decided to cancel celebrations and only observe Christmas Mass.

Russian Church continues to seek recognition in China

2011-12-24T16:46:00.001-06:00

(orthodox.cn) - Hegumen Philaret (Bulekov), Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations (DECR) of the Moscow Patriarchate held a series of meetings in Beijing with government and religious organizations in China. Father Philaret led a DECR delegation at a round table, "Compatriots and the Russian Orthodox Church: Experience of Cooperation in Asia", held in Beijing on December 10-11, 2011 with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church.

On December 9, 2011 Hegumen Philaret visited the State Administration of Religious Affairs of the People's Republic of China (SARA PRC), where he met with the head of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Guo Wei. A wide range of issues of cooperation between Russia and China in the religious sphere was discussed, as well as the pastoral care of Orthodox compatriots in China and cooperation on normalizing the situation the Chinese Autonomous Orthodox Church.

Accompanying Herumen Philaret was DECR staff member, D. I. Petrovsky, a member of the Russian part of the Russo-Chinese group on contacts and cooperation in the sphere of religion; Petrovsky discussed with the Chinese side agenda issues of the working group, particularly, the preparation of the second Russo-Chinese consultations and a regular mechanism of cooperation in the religious sphere, which are scheduled to be held in China in 2012.

The meeting was also attended by A.P. Povalyaev, First Secretary of the Russian Embassy in Beijing; Ms. Xiao Hong, Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs of SARA PRC; Mrs. Xu Wenzhen and Mrs. Xue Chunmei, deputy directors of the Second Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs of SARA PRC.

As a remembrance of the meeting, Hegumen Philaret presented Ms. Guo Wei an album published for the 65th anniversary of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations. Then China's State Administration for Religious Affairs gave a dinner in honor of the DECR delegation.

That same day, the DECR's deputy chairman visited the southern Catholic cathedral in Beijing in honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, where he was met by priest Peter Zhao, vicar general of the Beijing diocese. He welcomed Hegumen Philaret on behalf of Bishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing, who was on a trip abroad on that day.

Hegumen Philaret expressed his gratitude to Chinese Catholics for the support they give to the Orthodox in their country. By mutual agreement, Chinese Orthodox believers and priests from Russia have an opportunity to use Catholic churches in Beijing for divine services: the feast of Pascha, during the Olympics, as well as for funerals of Orthodox believers — in particular, the burial rite of Archpriest Alexander Du was held in the Catholic Church. DECR's deputy chairman expressed the hope that this cooperation will continue in the future because while the Orthodox church on the territory of the Russian Embassy has been restored, not everyone (especially Chinese citizens) can visit it.

The interlocutors also discussed the future development of joint scholarly and educational projects in the Beijing seminary and the Russian Church's theological schools and the exchange of faculty and students.

Priest Peter Zhao said that the mutual support of the Orthodox and Catholics is natural, noting that the Chinese Catholics are impressed by the beauty of Orthodox divine services. The sides also exchanged views on the importance of preserving Christian tradition and a firm witness of traditional Christian moral values in a world which is rapidly being secularized.

As a remembrance of the meeting, Hegumen Philaret left an illustrated album about Orthodoxy in China, written in the Russian and Chinese, for Bishop Li Shan.

The DECR delegation also visited the Daoist White Cloud Monastery (Baiyunguan), where they met with the Deputy Secretary of China Daoist Association Meng Zhiling. After a conversation about the importance of promoting inter-religious peace, they exchanged gifts. Hegumen Philaret gave the Chinese Daoist Association an "Orthodoxy in China" album.

On December 12, 2011 Hegumen Philaret visited Beijing's Council of Churches, where he spoke about the roundtable which had brought together in Beijing compatriots and Orthodox clergy from Asia, noting that representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church consider it important to meet with representatives of traditional religions of China as part of their stay in Beijing.

"We know of the good communication between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Chinese Protestants" - said DECR's deputy chairman. "That it was at the invitation of China Christian Council and Bishop Ding, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad (now - the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia) first visited China in 1993. We would like to maintain the current high level of contacts including in the field of educational projects."

On the same day Hegumen Philaret had a meeting with Sergey Razob, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in China, at which they discussed issues related to the joint agenda in detail.

Moscow reiterates need for unanimity in Great Council

2011-12-24T16:34:00.000-06:00

This statement reiterates what Met. Hilarion (head of the Department for External Church Relations) has been saying about the upcoming "Great Council" of the Orthodox Churches. Namely, that decisions at the council and those made in preparation to the council should be valid when acceded to unanimously. It will be interesting to see how the divisive topics besetting the Church today will be dealt with leading up to the council and at the council itself.

(mospat.ru) - A process of preparation for the Pan-Orthodox Council launched fifty years ago has become brisker, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia noted in his report delivered at the meeting of the Moscow Diocesan Assembly.

All Local Orthodox Churches, which take part in the preparation, have got agreement on the ten topics of the Council out of ten. According to His Holiness, the advance is unthinkable without preliminary agreement that ought to be reached at the Pan-Orthodox pre-Council meetings; the principle of taking decisions unanimously or by consensus is fixed in the rules.

Last February, however, the particulars of one of the outstanding topics were not agreed upon. This is the topic of autocephaly. Representatives of certain Local Churches cast doubt on the expedience of the principle of consensus in the pre-Council process and posed a question of its replacement by the majority principle.

“We are told that the principle of consensus was not always used in the epoch of Ecumenical Councils, – His Holiness continued. – At that time, the imperial power was the instrument of keeping church unity, but there is no such a mechanism at present. The Local Churches live and work in different countries and under specific conditions. If we do not take into account their opinion, it would be difficult to take decisions at the future Council by all, and this may provoke disorders.”

“We have held consultations with other Local Churches, and it transpired that they were equally concerned,” His Holiness said and reminded the audience of the meeting of the Primates and representatives of the seven Local Orthodox Churches that took place at the Moscow Kremlin on 21 November 2011.

“All participants in the meeting spoke up for upholding the principle of consensus both in the pre-Council process and at the Council,” the Primate of the Russian Church underscored.

A journey to the Orthodox Church

2011-12-24T11:48:00.001-06:00

A look through the journey from Campus Crusade for Christ to the Evangelical Orthodox Church to the Antiochian Archdiocese.

(YouTube) - The American youth culture exploded during the 60s and 70s. College campuses were brimming with students eager to explore all that life has to offer. As this new generation formed its identity, some underwent a spiritual awakening.

A close-knit group of Christians, who had found the faith during their college years, followed seven former campus ministers on a journey to discover what they called, the "New Testament Church." Decades later, they never expected where this journey would take them.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

A very Texas Merry Christmas to you all!

2011-12-24T09:12:00.000-06:00

O Christmas Tetrapod! O Christmas Tetrapod!

2011-12-24T08:37:00.002-06:00

Doesn't have quite the same ring as "O Christmas Tree" (Ach Tannenbaum), but a cute picture nonetheless.

Armenian, Armenian Catholic hierarchs meet in Burbank, CA

2011-12-23T16:27:00.000-06:00

(Armenian WD) - On December 19, 2011, the Primate welcomed Bishop Mikael Mouradian, Eparch of the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of the United States and Canada, to the Western Diocese. The Eparch was accompanied by the Very Rev. Fr. Krikor Chahinian, Pastor of St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Catholic Church and Assistant Pastor the Very Rev. Fr. Armenag Bedrossian. In a friendly atmosphere, the clergy held a discussion about the overall mission of the Church and related issues.

A reception at the Armen Hampar Family Room followed the meeting.

God is with us! S'Nami Boh!

2011-12-23T10:35:00.000-06:00

It's time for my annual "God is with us!" Christmas post. It is one of my favorite musical moments of the liturgical year and, after a listen to a few of these selection, I think you'll understand why.

A Christmas event entitled "God is With Us!"

(AFR) - Fr Joseph Huneycutt welcomes you to St Joseph Orthodox Church, Houston, Texas for this Special AFR Christmas presentation: “God is With Us” by the St Romanos Chorale under the direction of Dr William Attra.

The St Romanos Chorale takes its name from the Syrian religious poet and hymnographer of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church, St Romanos, who is considered to be the greatest of the Byzantine melodist-poets. The Chorale is composed of singers from Orthodox Christian churches in the greater Houston area. The music is sung a capella in both Byzantine and Slavonic styles, predominantly in English, but also in Greek, Arabic, and Slavonic. The Chorale has presented beautiful Orthodox Christian music to audiences throughout Texas and neighboring states at venues including major colleges and universities.

The special Christmas performance you are about to hear was recorded on December 10th, 2011, at St Joseph Antiochian Orthodox Church, Houston, Texas.

Prostopinije (Carpatho-Russian plainchaint)

In Greek

Znamenny Chant from Valaam Monastery

Is the monastic life a career?

2011-12-23T09:44:00.000-06:00

(thestar.com) - For 14 years, Victoria Ivantchenko lived as a nun at a Greek Orthodox Monastery in Bolton, Ont.

Now she wants to get paid for it.

A secular court must decide whether she, as a nun, was an employee of the monastery or a volunteer servant to God.

Ivantchenko is suing the Sisters of St. Kosmas Aitolos Greek Orthodox Monastery — including the Mother Superior — as well as the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto for “wrongful constructive dismissal.”

It’s unclear why Ivantchenko even left the monastery, but in her lawsuit she also alleges slander, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of mental suffering. She is seeking damages and back pay. More information here.

“This is a unique case. It’s been a terrible ordeal for my client and given that she is a nun, the unpleasantness is very difficult for her,” said Ivantchenko’s lawyer, Norman Epstein, who declined to elaborate on his client’s history at the monastery for legal reasons.

The crux of the case stems from the question of whether Ivantchenko can be considered an employee at all.

A motion by the monastery and church to have the case thrown out without a trial was dismissed by Ontario Superior Court Justice Peter Lauwers. He said there wasn’t enough evidence on which he could rule, and the issues should be decided at trial. He also added he was “especially troubled by the profound ambiguity” of a January affidavit from the Mother Superior on the nature of the monastery.

Lauwers’ comments point to the difficulty in dealing with religious matters in civil court. Religious organizations vary widely in their practices on whether those serving them are paid as employees.

“Courts are reluctant to become involved in the internal affairs of a religious organization,” Lauwers said in his reason for the decision.

The lawyer representing the monastery declined to comment, and the lawyer for the Greek Orthodox Metropolis did not return calls.

According to the affidavit from Mother Superior Anastasia Voutzali, Ivantchenko came to live at the monastery on Feb. 26, 1996. Three years later, she became a “Rassaphore,” the second stage of her development as a nun. She left the monastery in May 2010 and began her civil suit that August.

“The obligation of a nun in this type of monastery is to strive to keep, for the love of Christ and for spiritual progress, the monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience,” reads the Mother Superior’s affidavit.

“Monastic work is for God and not for people. It is not a career.”

But for Ivantchenko, it appears it was.

She said she performed tasks that would be seen in the secular world as “work,” including sewing religious vestments and doing embroidery, for which the monastery received compensation.

The Mother Superior asserts that these tasks — including daily chores, tending to elderly or sick sisters, hospitality and crafts — fall within the ordinary responsibilities of a nun. She said the sisters in the monastery sign no contract, receive no salary or pay, and don’t take vacations.

“At no time was it stated, or implied, that she was working, in any way for pay,” she said.

But Ivantchenko’s lawyer argued that these activities show Ivantchenko is an employee for civil law purposes and is entitled to sue for wrongful dismissal.

In 2007, a case from the Queen’s Bench for Saskatchewan also looked at the issue of nuns as individual employees and a religious corporation as the employer.

A group of adults who were abused as children by nuns at an orphanage claimed Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate, known as Sisters, was responsible for the conduct of individual nuns. Sisters, however, claimed as a corporation it did not have an employer-employee relationship with individual nuns.

In the end, the judge ruled a class action lawsuit could proceed against Sisters.

Nativity message of Abp. Demetrios of the Greek Archdiocese

2011-12-23T08:55:00.001-06:00

The bishop and his vestments

2011-12-22T21:01:00.000-06:00

H/T: Orthodox Pathway

I made a pilgrimage to this mission in Mechanicsburg, PA to see the Hawaiian Myrrh-Streaming Iveron icon when it visited them earlier this year. For those unfamiliar with a bishop's vestments, this is a good introduction.

Bulgarian govt. to probe Church finances

2011-12-21T14:37:00.002-06:00

(novinite.com) - The State must probe the Bulgarian Orthodox Church over ways it spent its subsidy in the last 20 years.

The statement was made by the President of the trade union Confederation of Labor "Podkrepa" (Support), Konstantin Trenchev.

He says that an audit has not been conducted in many years despite numerous reports of violations, including alerts to the Prosecutor's Office. According to the syndicates, the clergy does not make social insurance contributions.

Trenchev also insists on exposing the names of priests and bishops who have been collaborators and/or agents of the former Communist State Security, DS.

About BGN 1.5 M from the State budget have been slated each year, in the last five years, for subsidy for the Church, plus another BGN 700 000 for Bulgarian churches abroad. Local municipalities are also allowed to subsidize religious institutions. Meanwhile, a check of the Main Labor Inspectorate has revealed that in the entire Pleven bishopric only one priest has deposited social insurance contribution payments; in the Vratsa bishopric they were 14, in the Veliko Tarnovo one – 22.

The check of the Inspectorate has involved less that 10% of the structures of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church over the interference of Bulgaria's Patriarch Maxim who had ordered a ban on all probes from any State institutions.

The requests of the syndicates for an audit of the Church has been sent in writing to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov. According to union data, the only audit so far had been the one of the Sofia bishopric in 2000, conducted after a notice to the Prosecutor's Office, but no violations have been revealed.

This is going to upset more than a few people

2011-12-20T12:47:00.001-06:00

(Rorate Caeli) - November 8 of this year witnessed an extremely rare event: the priestly ordination, in Russia and according to the Byzantine Rite, of a Russian Orthodox convert to Catholicism. On this day, Fr. Deacon Pavel (Paul) Gladkov was ordained by Bishop Milan Šášik of the Carpatho-Rusyn Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo in the Latin-Rite Cathedral of the Transfiguration in Novosibirsk (in Siberia).

More photographs can be found on the website of the Catholic Church in Siberia.

The new priest was born into Russian Orthodoxy in 1982 and became Catholic in 1999. The ceremony itself was according to the Byzantine Rite with some elements of the Latin liturgical tradition (such as the prostration for the Litany of Saints, which has been adopted by some Eastern Catholics for their ordination rites.)

The new priest is now one of about 20 Greek Catholic priests serving the small but growing community of Greek Catholics in Russia, of whom only a minority -- sometimes called "Russian Orthodox United with Rome" -- worship according to the Russian tradition (the majority are from Ukraine and follow the Ukrainian Greek Catholic tradition). He is part of a minority (Russian Greek Catholics) in a minority (Greek Catholics) in a minority (Catholics) in Russia. (The vast majority of Catholics in Russia belong to the Latin Rite.) The Greek Catholic community in Russia is governed by Bishop Joseph Werth S.J. who is also the Latin-Rite Ordinary for the Diocese of the Transfiguration in Novosibirsk. (Bishop Werth is biritual and was present in Byzantine vestments at the ordination of Fr. Pavel Gladkov.)

Bless this celestial conveyance...

2011-12-20T12:08:00.000-06:00

(MSNBC) - A Russian Orthodox priest blesses the Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft at the launch pad of the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Dec. 20, 2011. The launch of the Soyuz TMA-03M with an international crew aboard including US astronaut Donald Pettit, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers, is scheduled for December 21.

Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy, an abbreviated review

2011-12-20T09:37:00.001-06:00

Many moons ago I did an interview with Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick about his soon to be published book Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy (the interview can be found here). At the time I had been listening to his wildly popular Ancient Faith Radio podcast of the same name and was intrigued to hear that the content of the podcast was going to be used as fodder for a book. Others have reviewed this book since its publishing, but please indulge me as I add my opinion to the discussion.

The book looks at the faiths outside of Orthodoxy (first Christian and then non-Christian) and provides short adumbrations of the history and beliefs of these non-Orthodox groups. In a world where Wikipedia is a smartphone or laptop's keyboard away, one might ask why such a book is necessary. To that premise I answer that it is impossible to describe the beliefs of a religious group without some form of bias. Actually, one can certainly list facts, figures, and other such humdrum data, but what people are often looking for is not to be found there. The inquirer wants to know what this all means through the prism of their beliefs and experiences. Does an Armenian look for the same things a strict Calvinist would? I hardly think so. So, to my thinking, this book is suited to two audiences. 1. Orthodox who are curious about other faiths. 2. People who aren't Orthodox, but want to know what the Orthodox view is on the beliefs of others. Both groups are served well.

This book is not, however, an exhaustive treatment on the heretical, confused, or sometimes silly beliefs of some groups. There are weighty tomes already in circulation on every conceivable group by every conceivable group. On Roman Catholicism alone I can list without the aid of an Internet search 10-20 books ranging from enthusiastically irenic to barely contained loathing. One can even delve into single ideas within Catholicism and read on them for years. If you dare, Romanides' Ancestral Sin comes to mind.

This book is instead an Orthodox eyepiece that can be used to examine Calvinists, the New Age movement, Mormons, etc. at a glance. What is more, this book does not stand alone. If you find yourself desirous of more information on a certain group, in most cases one can simply head over to Ancient Faith Radio and listen to the episode of the podcast that deals with them.

Beyond the uses already described, I also advise making this an addition to parish libraries or as a book priests can lend to inquirers. People visiting an Orthodox church are filled with curiosity and that curiosity leads to many, many questions where statements like "My mother is Jehovah's Witness, she says...," "I was raised Pentecostal and my preacher told me...," etc. abound. This book is a wonderful aid in getting through this initial stage in the "What is Orthodoxy all about?" dialogue along with texts like the popular "12 Things I Wish I'd Known by Kh. Frederica Mathewes-Green, the invaluable "Introducing the Orthodox Church" by Fr. Anthony Coniaris, and the Met. Kallisos (Ware) collection.

So get this book for your friend with all those questions. Get this book for your priest so he can have something to hand inquirers. Get this book for your parish library for the benefit of the whole congregation. Get this book to carry around with you for those moments at Starbucks where you wish you had just the right book to answer a question. Get the book for yourself and you'll be glad you did.

Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy is available in all the usual places both in paperback and ebook (Kindle and Nook) formats.

Assembly of Bishops notes addition of new bishops

2011-12-19T19:21:00.000-06:00

(AOB) - Five new bishops have recently been consecrated for the Church in North America and have joined the Assembly of Bishops of North and Central America:

Bishop Ignatius was consecrated to the sacred episcopacy on July 10th as an auxiliary bishop for the Antiochian Archdiocese of Mexico;

Bishop John was consecrated to the sacred episcopacy on December 11th as the auxiliary bishop for Worcester and the Diocese of New England of the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America;

Bishop Anthony was consecrated to the sacred episcopacy on December 11th as the auxiliary bishop for Toledo and the Diocese of the Midwest of the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America;

Bishop Nicholas was consecrated to the sacred episcopacy on December 11th as the auxiliary bishop for Brooklyn and assistant to the Metropolitan of the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America;

Bishop Sevastianos was consecrated to the sacred episcopacy on December 17th as the auxiliary bishop of Zela and assistant to the Archbishop for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

In addition, two bishops have been recently elevated:

Bishop Savas was enthroned as the Metropolitan of Pittsburgh of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese on December 8th;

Bishop Joseph of Los Angeles and the West of the Antiochian Archdiocese was elevated to the dignity of Archbishop on December 11th.

Memorial service held on new Ground Zero church location

2011-12-19T15:09:00.002-06:00

(YouTube) - His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios visited The New Grounds of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at Ground Zero, and held a Memorial Service and Artocclasia to Celebrate and remember those lost on 9/11 and to bring the message that we will built our church here, after long battle with the Port Authority. English starts about 2 minutes in.

Swahili in St. Petersburg

2011-12-19T09:19:00.000-06:00

(Pravoslavie)- December 16 at 14:30 at the second Winter Orthodox exhibition at the Exhibition Center of the North-West of Russia the priest, Philip Gatari from Kenya, will conduct a prayer service in Swahili, which will be the beginning of the program devoted to the Orthodox Church in this East African country.

Father Philip Gatari is priest of the church of St. Anthony in the village Ishamara in the area Nieri in Central Kenya. He is also a director of a rural school, located near the temple. The Nieri area consists of 14 Orthodox priests where nearly every village has its church.

In total, Kenya has hundreds of Orthodox churches. The number of Orthodox believers is close to a million, with almost one thirtieth of all Kenyans professing Orthodoxy. Experts note that Orthodoxy is the most rapidly growing religion in Kenya, saying that it is the new Christianity in Africa. In the villages mass baptisms are not a rare case - sometimes 50-70 people. In the minds of the Kenyan people Orthodoxy is not, in contrast to other Christian denominations, associated with the colonialists.

Father Philip will talk about how to live a rural parish in the African country, as he served in the temple as a priest after the service communicates with the congregation, the parishioners stand with prepared speeches. Interestingly, observing Orthodox canons, Kenyans praise God in their own way in the church after the service sound drums, with the priest and congregation sing, and dance. The African Orthodox Church has its own characteristics, which take into account the mentality of Kenyans, their traditions and national character.

Causes the greatest respect that Kenyan farmers living in poverty, tend to form, the whole world raise funds to build schools, help talented young people to find the money to go to university.

Guests who came to the meeting, more vividly imagine the life of African Christians will exhibit prepared by the organizers of the substantive.

"Pregnancy test Virgin Mary" damaged (improved?)

2011-12-19T09:01:00.002-06:00

(Telegraph) - A scissor-wielding protester has destroyed a controversial billboard of the Virgin Mary, just days after it went up outside a New Zealand church.

Hours after the attack, 100 or so Roman Catholics gathered to pray in the rain in front of the ruined billboard, which had shown Mary gasping in shock as she examined a pregnancy testing kit.

The billboard outside the Anglican church of St Matthew's in the City, in central Auckland, New Zealand, had drawn thousands of angry comments as well as messages of support from around the world.

Arthur Skinner, a member of an organisation calling itself the Catholic Action Group, who described the Renaissance-style picture as "satanic", was photographed attacking it.

"Yes, it is vandalism," Mr Skinner proclaimed proudly outside the church.

"I'm guilty. If they want to arrest me, be my guest.

"If it comes to that, I believe in being persecuted for my faith."

He told the crowd of worshippers: "We are traditional Catholics.

"We don't look for trouble, but watch out if you start this sort of thing."

Mr Skinner said those responsible for the poster, which was created by an advertising agency, would "certainly burn in hell" if they did not repent.

Many of the people who knelt on a wet pavement under umbrellas to pray and say the "Hail Mary" rosary condemned the poster as blasphemous.

The Rev Glynn Cardy, vicar of St Matthew's, who had earlier described the poster as "thought provoking", told reporters: "I'm disappointed that there is not more tolerance of different views. This isn't a different view - certainly not one that is making any sort of dogmatic statement. This is a just attention-seeking behavior (see below for last year's poster). He doesn't have a different view - he has a deplorable marketing strategy.

"They obviously feel strongly about it. Which was your plan in the first place. Avant-garde endeavors that seek to "jump start a discussion" often serve to undermine the faith more than they reinforce it. A St. Lawrence grilled cheese cook off, a St. Sebastian archery contest, a St. Stephen rock skipping competition...

"I'm just disappointed that strength of feeling has led to vandalism." Odd that you can make something horrible and it's protected in your mind because you went to FedEx Office. Bully for them that they found a less expensive method of expression.

He said St Matthew's would "need to think about" whether to replace the poster.

Two years ago a billboard outside the same church depicting Joseph and Mary in bed after sex had to be taken down after it was attacked several times by outraged Christians.

ONE: the inaugural Oriental Orthodox Youth gathering

2011-12-18T15:05:00.000-06:00

Fr. Nathan Monk in the news defending the homeless again

2011-12-17T23:48:00.001-06:00

For an earlier post on Fr. Nathan Monk see here. His congregation is currently petitioning to be accepted into the Antiochian Church as a Western Rite parish.

(Pensacola Digest) - So, a priest walks into a city council meeting — stop me if you’ve heard this one — and is nearly hauled away by the police for speaking calmly to his elected officials.

Hilarious, right?

Father Nathan Monk wasn’t laughing at last night’s City Council meeting. During the Boyd Forum, an open comment period named in honor of the late civic activist LeRoy Boyd, Father Monk chided the council members — and Council President Sam Hall in particular — for their actions at Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting. At that meeting, several citizens had spoken in opposition to the proposed anti-homeless ordinances, and in doing so made unflattering comparisons to historical figures (one person mentioned Heinrich Himmler’s “Final Solution“) and questioned the Christian charity of any council member who would support the ordinances. Council members DeWeese and Johnson took offense at the accusations, and Hall had asked Police Chief Chip Simmons to remove several speakers he deemed “out of order.”

At last night’s meeting, Monk told the council they had no right to dictate the content of their speech, and suggested that they instead examine any actions by the city that would prompt such comparisons.

“As Americans, we have the right to redress our government without fear of being arrested,” he said. “Whether or not they’re connecting dots from Hitler to George Wallace to Barney … you should be asking, ‘well what are we doing that’s allowing people to connect those dots?’ It was a sick and gross abuse of power.”

Council President Hall interrupted Monk at that point. “Your time is up, sit down,” he said.

“No, I have a minute and 12 seconds left,” Monk said, looking at the timer at the speaker’s lectern.

“I’m ruling you out of order,” Hall said.

When Monk refused to leave, noting that he had not violated any rules of conduct, Hall asked Police Chief Simmons and two other uniformed police officers in attendance to remove him. He refused to budge until his allotted time was up, after which he was escorted from council chambers by the officers.

During the standoff, council members Sherri Myers and John Jerralds stood up and left their seats in protest.

“I am leaving this chamber as you are in violation of the people’s First Amendment right,” Myers said. “I will be outside if you want to want to address your grievances to your government.”

Returning to her seat later in the meeting, she strongly criticized the “chilling effect” such censorship can have on the public right to speech...

Complete article here.

On the cleaning of holy things

2011-12-16T22:45:00.000-06:00

From a great blog I stumbled upon named Lessons from a Monastery, a post on cleaning holy objects.

Here’s a tip I consider to be very important that I picked up from the monastery the first time I cleaned with them.

The sisters use four different cleaning clothes when dusting the various pictures, icons, and objects in their monastery. For all the (for lack of a better word) secular things in the monastery they use a wet wettex to dust and a dry cloth to dry. However, for all the icons, censors, anything like that, a separate wettex is used and another dry cloth as well. The basic principle being, “holy things are for the holy”.

They simply write an “E” (for eikona - icon) on the cloths for holy things so they don’t get them mixed up. I prefer to always use a different colour wettex, pink for holy objects, blue for regular ones. Once the wettex/ cloths for icons, etc. have become too tattered to use the sisters burn theirs (we’ll discuss this in another post). I have just thrown mine out in the past.

(As a funny aside, I always assumed the word wettex started with a “v” because the “w” sound is not natural to Greek-speakers, and so the sisters always said it with a “v” sound. I was looking to buy them at the grocery store once and when I saw how the name was spelled, I laughed out loud. Living in Greece my pronunciation is subject to correction by everyone: taxi drivers, old yiayias, the guy at the kiosk, and even my friend’s toddler – who at the age of three loved correcting my Greek. Needless to say, perhaps I took a little more delight in the mispronounced “w” than a normal person would.)

Hope you enjoy the tip!

Of cherubim and putti

2011-12-16T11:30:00.000-06:00

(NLM) - How should we paint cherubim? Painting a spiritual being is always going to be bit problematic. The representations that we see are most commonly based upon those instances in scripture where they have appeared visually. Even then it's not always straight forward. For example, the vision of Ezekiel describes a being that is a compound image of faces, wings, wheels, multiple eyes, fire and chrysolite (whatever that is).

Reading through the biblical passage, its difficult to imagine how everything fits together and if I had been set the task without any tradition to refer to I don't know where I would start. Looking at the various traditional images, artists seem to pick up on particular details and represent those and do not seem to try too hard to create a single picture with everything present. It gives me the impression that perhaps what Ezekiel is describing may not be a steady image, but shimmering changing picture in which different things stand out at different times.

One thing that definitely doesn't come to mind, however, is a podgy baby. Quite how the figures of the Renaissance and the baroque equated these with any descriptions of cherubim from scripture I don't know. Perhaps there is a passage that I am unaware of that leads one in this direction artistically? If so, I am confident that a New Liturgical Movement reader will be able to direct me to the right place.

And then, even if we've established that we can employ this form, we have to be careful to distinguish between putti and cherubs. The source of this style of image is, as with all the art of the High Renaissance and baroque, classical sculpture. Putti are impish, 'little men' that are based on figures such as Eros, non-material beings with mischief in mind. By the baroque era cherubs were represented in exactly the same way. The distinction was simple, if the painting was sacred, then the person was a cherub, if is was secular/classical, then an identical representation would be a putto...

Complete article here.

Met. Hilarion on annual pilgrimage to Mt. Athos

2011-12-16T09:09:00.000-06:00

Not particularly newsworthy, but I like the composition of the photo. You can read more about his trip to Mount Athos with others clerics from the Russian Church here.

Consecration of Antiochian bishops in Lebanon

2011-12-15T12:05:00.001-06:00

(YouTube) - Consecration of Bishops John, Anthony & Nicholas by His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius and members of the Holy Synod of Antioch at the Holy Dormition Church at the University of Balamand in Lebanon on December 11, 2011.

An investigation of the Nativity icon

2011-12-15T08:02:00.004-06:00

From the Orthodox Metropolinate of Hong Kong...

The Cave

Due to sin, many of us struggle with doubt or disbelief. This cave represents our struggle. The Cave represents the world, dark with sin through man’s fault. It is now illuminated by the Light of the Incarnation. Within this cave, Christ, “the Sun of Truth,” enters into the world He created for us, clothed in the flesh of Mary’s body through natural birth, the same way all of His children are born. “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.” (Saint John the Evangelist)

The ox and the ass

The ox and the ass fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah. “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” (Isaiah 1:3)

The Most Holy Theotokos and Virgin Mary

The main focus of this icon is the Christ-child and His mother, the Theotokos and Mother of Light. Archangel Gabriel told her that she will bear the Son of God. He then led her to Bethlehem. The Virgin Mary is seen resting on a red blanket that symbolizes the color of life. The Virgin Mary is also seen not only looking at her Son, but at her beloved husband Saint Joseph. She is praying to the Lord so his struggles of disbelief and temptation will pass. She relies on the Lord, her Son, through prayer that her husband will overcome his doubt and the temptations of Satan.

The Christ-child

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is seen wrapped in swaddling cloths. This not only represents His total submission to the human flesh, but also foreshadows His death and resurrection. “wrapped in bands of cloth.” (Luke 2:7-12) He is lying on an altar which symbolizes He is the bread of life. The manger represents His crib, His church, and His tomb, all in one. “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever, and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51)

The angels

The angles brought the “good news of great joy” to shepherds tending their flocks. “And the angel said unto them, fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:10-14)

The Magi

Bring gold, frankincense and myrrh the three magi (wise men) were led by the heavenly star to the manger in which our Lord resided. “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2) “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11)

The shepherds

The Jewish shepherds were among the first to worship the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This symbolizes that Christ is the Good Shepherd.

Saint Joseph and an elderly man

A widower before he had wed Mary, Saint Joseph the Betrothed is seen as an elderly man. With gray hair and hunched over, he is in doubt of this miraculous birth. Struggling within himself, he wonders if this was by another man or if it was indeed true. To the right of Saint Joseph is Satan. Satan appears in the form of an elderly man as well, yet he is shown in rags and with a cane. Saint Joseph is being tempted by Satan with doubt. Saint Joseph loves the Virgin Mary and through her prayers he overcomes this struggle. He is the protector of the Virgin Mary and guardian of Jesus Christ the Savior.

The Star

The star which is shown in this icon represents the heavens and the Trinity rejoicing the glorious birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Shining brighter that any other star, it is what guided the magi to the new-born King. Some icons are written with three lines coming from the heavens which represent the Trinity.

Remembering Fr. Alexander Schmemann

2011-12-14T18:22:00.001-06:00

(STOTS) - The anniversary of his repose is December 13^th. In 1983 the following was broadcast on CBS regarding Fr. Alexander's life and impact on the Orthodox world.

UOC Kiev Patriarchate / UAOC dialogue breaks down

2011-12-14T18:12:00.002-06:00

(RISU) - The unification process between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which began last autumn, failed.

According to the Kyivan Patriarchate, the clergymen of the UAOC are to blame for the failure of the dialogue. Representatives of the Kyivan Patriarchate particularly accuse Metropolitans Mefodii and Andrii, who laid down an unacceptable condition, the resignation of Patriarch Filaret. On December 13, in Kyiv, the bishops of the UOC-KP at their synod passed an address stating their position in this regard, reported the website of UOC-KP.

The bishops reminded in the document that the two churches made repeated attempts to unite.

“The first attempt to unite was made in 2000-2001, when Symphoniticon was signed at the residence of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople and later agreements were reached at a meeting in Ternopil. However, these agreements did not result in unification as the head of UAOC, Metropolitan Mefodii and some other bishops laid down the condition of resignation of Patriarch Filaret of Kyiv and All Rus for the unification. This condition was also laid down was during the second attempt of dialogue in autumn, 2005,” reads the address.

The bishops of the Kyivan Patriarchate cannot accept these conditions by any means as they view Patriarch Filaret as one with the biggest experience of the bishop’s ministry. In addition, they consider the dismissal of Patriarch Filaret to be “the dream of the Moscow Patriarchate of many years,” which they now try to fulfill “through the mentioned representatives of UAOC.”

The Synod of UOC-KP reminded that many representatives of the higher ranks of clergy of UAOC were once part of the Kyivan Patriarchate but left that church due to conflicts.

“Metropolitan Mefodii in 1995, was the administrator of UOC-KP, Metropolitan Andrii was a permanent member of the Holy Synod in 1992-1995. Most of the present bishops of UAOC are former priests of the Kyivan Patriarchate who left our church for the sake of obtaining the positions of the bishops.”